Another Hurdle for City Councilman Eric Mays

Another hurdle for City Councilman Eric Mays

By: Quentin Barrett

Councilman Eric Mays plans to appeal a decision by 67th District Court Judge Richard D. Ball that will land Mr. Mays in jail for 28 days. This sentence is the result of the court proceedings surrounding Mays’ arrest in 2013 for impaired driving. Mays was found guilty of impaired driving and failure to report an accident in November 2015. He was charged with driving his vehicle the wrong way on I-475 and police officials maintain that Mays was under the influence of alcohol.

Mays represented himself throughout the trial. He insisted prosecutors provided no evidence as to how his vehicle ended up on I-475 nor did they show evidence that he had been driving that night. Judge Ball and a 6 person jury disagreed with Mays’ defense and handed down a guilty verdict and a sentence of 30 days in jail. Mays received credit for the 2 days he’d already served.

Recently, Mays has been extremely vocal in the water crisis in the City of Flint. City residents have come to know Mays as a voice for reform in City Hall. Mays has a lot of supporters and during his many campaign attempts throughout the years he has garnered significant support. It is situations like this one that has hindered Mays in his quest for sustained political relevance. The contrast between moments where Mays eloquently exposes the damaging decision-making by the City’s elected officials with another moment where he is being escorted out of City Council meetings for disorderly conduct has become part of the narrative of Eric Mays.

Many people in Flint view Eric Mays as a voice for the people. They see him as intelligent, aware and uncompromising. Others in the city see Mays as a distraction and man who is not to be taken seriously.

Mays is set to be back in court on January 28th.