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 As Flint becomes the focal point of the Michigan primary battle
when it hosts a nationally televised debate on Sunday, residents
want to see Clinton and Sanders push harder for funding to replace
the city's crumbling water pipes, pay for long-term medical needs
and lower their water bills.
"We don't want our pain to be exploited as a political backdrop. We
need more from both of the candidates," said Nayyirah Shariff, a
Flint resident and co-founder of the activist Flint Democracy
Defense League who has met with both Clinton and Sanders.
The crisis in Flint, a predominantly black city of 100,000, was
triggered when an emergency city manager installed by Governor Rick
Snyder switched the city's water supply from Lake Michigan to the
nearby Flint River to save money.
The change corroded Flint's aging pipes and released lead and other
toxins into the water supply, exposing thousands of residents
including children to high lead levels that have sparked serious
health problems.
 The crisis has sparked national outrage and led to calls for Snyder
to resign.
Both Democratic presidential contenders have raced to condemn the
water contamination and criticize Republican Snyder for a slow state
response, linking it to broader racial and economic inequities.
But Melissa Mays, who has suffered seizures since the contamination
and has three children with elevated lead levels in their blood,
said she has not gone to local events where Clinton and Sanders met
with residents.
"I'm not going to be used like that. I'm not going to be a token,"
said Mays, founder of Water You Fighting For?, another activist
group. "Do something first, then I'll show up."
President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint in
January, but lawmakers in Congress have been unable to agree on a
funding package to replace aging pipes.
DEBATE TO HIGHLIGHT CITY'S PLIGHT
The issue will get a full national airing from the Democratic
presidential candidates in a debate in Flint scheduled to begin at 8
p.m. EST on Sunday.
Republican presidential candidates have steered clear of Flint on
the campaign trail, but when U.S. Senator Marco Rubio was asked
about Flint during Thursday's debate in Detroit he defended Snyder
and said the "politicizing" of the crisis was unfair. The U.S.
presidential election is in November.
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Both Clinton and Sanders, who are vying for support from black
voters in Michigan and nationally, have highlighted the crisis in
Flint as an example of racial and economic inequality.
Clinton was quick to jump on the issue, sending aides to Flint to
meet with local officials, visiting the city on Feb. 7 and pressing
for adding the debate in Flint. She was rewarded with an endorsement
from Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and several black pastors in the
region.
Sanders also waded into the controversy, quickly calling for
Snyder's resignation, but he did not visit Flint until Feb. 25, more
than two weeks after Clinton.
Clinton gets credit from some residents for her aggressive approach,
even if some see it as political expediency.
"She has certainly tried to bring a great deal of awareness to what
has gone in Flint," said Rev. Allen Overton, a member of the
Flint-area Concerned Pastors for Social Action group and a Clinton
supporter. "Sanders is trying to catch up."
The Rev. Dan Scheid of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Flint said the
crisis raises questions about race and class - issues ripe for
political exploitation.
"The cynic in me would say there is an understandable level of
opportunism taking place," Scheid said. "But any attention the
candidates can bring in putting this injustice in front of the
country is helpful."
Keri Webber, whose entire family has been afflicted with an array of
illnesses, including a daughter with lead in her bones, said she was
frustrated by the parade of politicians expressing sympathy for
Flint but taking few concrete steps to help.
"The Democrats are trying to build a name off us, and the
Republicans couldn't tell you where Flint, Michigan, is," Webber
said.
(Editing by Paul Thomasch and Matthew Lewis)
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