Statement from Mayor Weaver on Gov. Snyder’s State of the State Address

FLINT, Mich. — The following is a statement from Flint Mayor Karen Weaver in response to Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2017 State of the State address, which she attended:

“I was happy to hear Governor Rick Snyder pledge to continue to help Flint recover from the water crisis affecting the city and its citizens through no fault of their own. While we’re grateful for the ways the state has stepped up in the past year to help Flint and its residents, so much more remains to be done.

“Replacing the lead and galvanized steel service lines at thousands more homes is imperative because residents still can’t drink the water unless it first goes through a filter. Although we’ve replaced pipes leading to nearly 800 homes, we still don’t have enough money from the state and federal governments to fulfill my pledge to replace all the lead-tainted service lines leading to nearly 20,000 homes over the next three years through my FAST Start program. That needs to change.

“As we continue to deal with this unprecedented health crisis, it’s imperative that the state continue to provide access to health care for all of Flint’s children, youth and pregnant women; early childhood education for preschoolers; access to healthier food that can help mitigate some of the effects of lead poisoning; and more jobs. We also need to know that the money won’t run out for the bottled water and filters so many people depend on. Only then can Flint, and its residents, gain a brighter future.”