Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Flint Mayor & City Council Election 2026

9 of 9

council seats up

10 contests

17 candidates

Updated Oct 4, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Find a candidate

Mayor · 1 seat

Tonya BurnsSixth Ward city councilwoman since 2021 who previously worked in economic development for the City of Flint.6sourced
Sheldon NeeleyIncumbentFlint mayor since 2019, previously a state representative and city councilman. Before public office he worked 27 years as a broadcast engineer with WJRT-ABC 12.4sourced

City Council Ward 1 · 1 seat

City Council Ward 2 · 1 seat

City Council Ward 3 · 1 seat

City Council Ward 4 · Unopposed

Ramie YelleNavy veteran who has worked as a massage therapist and acupuncturist for two decades.3sourced

City Council Ward 5 · 1 seat

City Council Ward 6 · Unopposed

Dakota StarrSales worker and 6th Ward resident of more than nine years.2sourced

City Council Ward 7 · 1 seat

City Council Ward 8 · 1 seat

City Council Ward 9 · Unopposed

Michael J. HarrisCandidate for Flint City Council, 9th Ward, the only name on the ballot for that seat.1sourced

Voters elect the mayor citywide and one council member in their own ward; all nine council seats are on the ballot.

4 notes on these statements

Judy Priestley, the 4th Ward incumbent, Tracy Frazier and Joyce Vincent are write-in candidates in Ward 4; Beverly Biggs-Leavy is a write-in candidate in Ward 3. Flint Beat · Sep 23, 2026

Jonathan Jarrett, the 9th Ward incumbent, was disqualified from the ballot over insufficient valid signatures on his nominating petitions. Flint Beat · Aug 5, 2026

Leon El-Alamin is running in the 3rd Ward and LaShawn Johnson in the 2nd Ward after ward boundary changes; each currently represents a different ward. Flint Beat · May 13, 2026

Tonya Burns is leaving her 6th Ward seat to run for mayor. Flint Beat · Aug 5, 2026

Start here

Match quiz5 questions · answers stay on your phone Seat the CouncilPick winners, see the council What council decidesCity budget and spending oversight, Water costs, Data centers Key datesDeadlines and vote centers

Next date

In-person voter registration at the City Clerk's Office begins (continues through Election Day)

Tue, Oct 20, 2026

All key dates

What the next council decides

City budget and spending oversight

Where it standsThe council adopted the FY2027 operating budget, about $73.6 million in the general fund, in a 5-4 vote on June 1, 2026.

What's on the tableThe next council reviews the mayor's next budget proposal and must adopt it by the charter deadline in June.

The council approved the 2026-27 operating budget in a 5-4 vote on June 1, 2026. Flint Beat · Jun 1, 2026
It was the first time in nearly four years the council approved the budget before the June 1 charter deadline. Flint Beat · Jun 1, 2026
During the budget hearings, council members were frustrated by what they felt were less-than-adequate explanations for budgetary decisions. Flintside · Jun 9, 2026
Mayor Neeley said the FY2027 budget was the seventh consecutive balanced budget submitted under his administration. City of Flint · Jun 2, 2026

Water costs

Where it standsThe FY2027 budget keeps city water rates the same; the council rejected a $1 million ARPA transfer for the Great Lakes Water Authority increase in March and approved one in June.

What's on the tableThe council decides how the city pays for future wholesale water rate increases.

On March 4, 2026 the council voted down a $1,000,000 ARPA transfer to cover the Great Lakes Water Authority's FY27 water rate increase (2 yes, 5 no). City of Flint · Mar 4, 2026
The council approved the transfer of $1 million in ARPA funds to the Water Rate Stabilization Fund on June 8, 2026. Flint Beat · Jun 8, 2026
The FY2027 budget keeps water rates the same. ABC12 · Jun 1, 2026

Data centers

Where it standsA 12-month moratorium on data center development passed the council 7-1 on June 8, 2026.

What's on the tableThe council decides whether to extend the moratorium, adopt data center regulations or let the pause expire after 12 months.

The council passed the 12-month moratorium 7-1 on June 8, 2026. Flint Beat · Jun 8, 2026
The moratorium applies to site plan reviews, construction blueprints, installations and renovations of facilities intended to operate as data centers. Flint Beat · Jun 8, 2026
The council amended the resolution to call for an independent investigation of the potential drawbacks and benefits of data centers during the moratorium. Flint Beat · Jun 8, 2026
The moratorium expires after 12 months unless the council adopts data center regulations sooner or votes to extend it. WNEM · Jun 8, 2026

Public safety and youth curfew

Where it standsThe council passed an emergency 9:30 p.m. curfew for unsupervised minors under 18 in June 2026, and the FY2027 budget funds public safety staffing.

What's on the tableThe council decides whether to revise the permanent curfew ordinance and how to fund police and fire staffing.

The council approved the 9:30 p.m. curfew in a 6-0 vote on June 22, 2026. Flint Beat · Jun 22, 2026
The emergency curfew remains in effect for 61 days after publication, after which the city reverts to the previous ordinance language. Flint Beat · Jun 22, 2026
The fire department employs 96 firefighters and could hire up to 106 under the current budget. Flint Beat · Jun 1, 2026

Streets, blight and corridor redevelopment

Where it standsThe FY2027 budget more than doubles street repair funding, and the council approved steps toward a Clio Road Corridor Improvement Authority on Sept. 28.

What's on the tableThe council decides how to prioritize street repair, blight removal and redevelopment projects such as the Clio Road corridor.

The street repair budget more than doubles, rising from around $2.3 million to $5.5 million. ABC12 · Jun 1, 2026
The council approved a resolution to create a Clio Road Corridor Improvement Authority with Mt. Morris Township on Sept. 28, 2026. Flint Beat · Sep 28, 2026
The proposed authority would cover the two-mile stretch of Clio Road between Pasadena Avenue and Carpenter Road. Flint Beat · Sep 28, 2026

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

1. What should Flint do about large data centers after the 12-month pause?
2. How should Flint handle rising wholesale water costs from the Great Lakes Water Authority?
3. What should come first in reducing violence?
4. How should Flint handle unsupervised minors at night?
5. What should the city do first about blighted properties?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

In-person voter registration at the City Clerk's Office begins (continues through Election Day)City of Flint Clerk's Office · Sep 1, 2026Oct 20, 2026
Early in-person voting begins at City Hall (runs through Nov. 1)City of Flint Clerk's Office · Sep 1, 2026Oct 24, 2026
Deadline to request an absent voter ballot by mail (5 p.m.)City of Flint Clerk's Office · Sep 1, 2026Oct 30, 2026
Deadline to apply for an absent voter ballot in person at the Clerk's Office (4 p.m.)City of Flint Clerk's Office · Sep 1, 2026Nov 2, 2026
Election DayCity of Flint Clerk's Office · Sep 1, 2026Nov 3, 2026

The seat math

0 stay (not up this year): 9 on this ballot

9 council seats. The council decides by a 5-vote majority.

The City Council has nine members, one for each of Flint's nine wards. City of Flint · Feb 9, 2026
City Council members are elected to four-year terms. City of Flint
All nine council seats are up for election in 2026. WNEM · Apr 22, 2026
The council elects its own president from among its members. City of Flint · Feb 9, 2026
Flint voters elect the mayor; the Nov. 3 election decides who leads Flint for the next four years. Flint Beat · Aug 5, 2026

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