My City September 2022

MYHISTORY

Robert J. Egan 1958-60

Charles A. Mobley 1960-62 When John F. Kennedy spoke in 1960 at Atwood Stadium about the dangers of automation for a working city like Flint, Mayor Charles A. Mobley listened. He, like Egan before him, was concerned with Flint’s future, especially as automation was concerned. Employment continued to fall in Flint and the citizen exodus to the suburbs was continuing. Mobley hitched up his belt and made his way to Congress where he lobbied for H. R. 4569, known as the Area Redevelopment Act, in an effort to acquire federal funds to create a program to retrain employees supplanted by automation. His efforts went the way of Egan’s for much the same reasons. Meanwhile, the cracks in Flint’s automotive foundation were getting wider and neither Mobley nor Egan could even begin to patch them. While in office, Mobley created a Department of Industrial Development in another effort for diversification.This effort continues without much success into today. After his tenure, Mobley ran for state representative twice in 1962 and 1964. He served as a long-time member of the Parks Board and Mobley Park, located across from Powers Catholic High School, is named after him. Also, during his mayoral term, Flint hired Joe Davis, the city’s first black fireman. ®

When Robert J. Egan took the reins as mayor in 1958, the City of Flint and General Motors were gearing up to celebrate GM’s 50th anniversary.The city was flying high and everyone was happily praising the future. Egan was perhaps the first to see cracks forming in the foundation. At the beginning of his term, Flint was experiencing nearly 14% unemployment (today’s rate is roughly 6%) and people were beginning to leave the city for the suburbs, taking their tax money and expertise with them. When Flint began to extend water out to the suburbs before he took the helm, Egan warned that businesses would follow and that water supply would become a major problem. Unfortunately, he was correct. In an attempt to slow future problems in 1959, Egan, as a representative of the American Municipal Association, lobbied congress to pass H. R. 5944, known as the Community Facilities Act, to help the city install new water infrastructure. With the money the act provided, Egan stated that Flint could start the process of building an aqueduct from Lake Huron to provide a larger source of water. Arguments were made against the money being given to Flint because, it was claimed, Flint was not a poor city.This was true. Flint had a population of over 200,000 persons and taxes were being collected at a rate of 97.8%. Egan was looking to the future; Congress was looking at the ledger. Egan also worried about being tied to one industry only, realizing that at any moment, GM could leave or automobile sales would end. In answer, he formed a committee to work for a diversified industry base in Flint. History will show his efforts were too late. Egan also dealt with the city’s first major civil rights protest when a young, black woman was arrested for loitering despite claims she was simply walking home. It was the first sign of major tension and social change in the city. In 1958, the Flint Public Library opened its doors and the first Buick Open took place at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club. In the summer of 1959, Egan opened Southwestern High School to its first students.

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