Flint’s former city administrator is suing the city and Mayor Karen Weaver.
The lawsuit claims Natasha Henderson was fired after she raised questions about donations to a Flint water crisis charity being redirected to another fund created by Mayor Weaver.
Katherine Smith Kennedy is Henderson’s attorney. She claims Henderson’s job was terminated hours after she raised the issue with the city attorney.
“The timing is so suspicious,” says Kennedy, who admits she doesn’t know if there was anything illegal about redirecting donations.
Natasha Henderson was relieved of her duties the same day as the city’s police and fire chiefs. All three were originally appointed by Flint’s former emergency managers. The staffing moves were made after the Receivership Transition Advisory Board restored hiring and firing authority to Flint’s mayor.
Back in February, Weaver defended her decision to terminate three top city officials as the city struggled to deal with its water crisis.
“I can’t wait for the water crisis to be ended because we don’t know when that will happen,” says Weaver.
The mayor’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit today.
“We ultimately want to restore Ms. Henderson’s reputation to where it was before all of this happened,” says Kennedy. The suit also seeks unspecified damages.
