Flags in Flint will fly at half-staff next week in honor of former Mayor Woodrow Stanley.
Stanley died this week. He was 71.
Current Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley calls Stanley a “true community hero, patriot, and pioneer.”
“A role model and mentor to many,” Neeley said in a statement. “May we all leave a legacy that will impact others to do good.”
Stanley served as Flint mayor from 1991 until 2002, when he was recalled from office.
During his lengthy political career, Woodrow Stanley also served six years in the Michigan Legislature. He was also a member of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners.
Stanley was President of the Michigan Municipal League Board in 1990-91, and received the League’s highest individual award in 1995.
“A staunch advocate for local government and local control, Mayor Stanley left a positive mark on our state and will be sorely missed,” said Dan Gilmartin, League CEO and Executive Director.
Correction:
The story originally incorrectly stated Stanley was Flint's first elected Black mayor.
In 1983, James Sharp became the city's first popularly elected African American mayor. Flint's first African American mayor Floyd McCree was selected by the Flint City Commission between 1966 and 1968.
