Ex-Flint Mayor Don Williamson is suing over a demand that he pay $4.5 million awarded to police officers who claimed race was a factor in promotions to a special unit in 2006.
The Flint Journal/Mlive reported that a status conference is set for Oct. 15 in U.S. District Court for the lawsuit, which also demands back wages.
The city said the lawsuit is without merit and has asked that the case be dismissed.
The Citizens Service Bureau was later disbanded, but not before 48 officers sued the city and Williamson in state and federal court. The case went before arbitrators, who ruled in favor of the officers and awarded them $3.8 million. The money owed grew with interest, and Flint wants Williamson to pay.
Williamson resigned in 2009 while facing a recall election.
The Michigan Lawyer 
The greed of Don Williamson knows no bounds. It isn’t enough that he cost the city upwards of $10,000,000 by stubbornly refusing to settle the sewer backup cases for a fraction of the eventual verdicts (not to mention legal fees); now, he is causing yet another diversion of limited resources with this ridiculous lawsuit. Back pay?! HE VOLUNTARILY WORKED FOR $1.00 A YEAR! As to the rest, unless Williamson did pay money out of his deep pockets to indemnify the city for the $3,800,000 hit that it took as a result of the Citizens Service Bureau lawsuits, HOW HAS HE BEEN DAMAGED? I suppose that when the voters elect a convicted felon to the office of mayor, they shouldn’t expect much, and in fairness to the voters who put him in office in 2003, the opponent was weak and failed to present a compelling case in his own favor. This whole spectacle shows the folly of affording governmental immunity to elected office holders—it breeds arrogance of the sort exemplified by Williamson, Kwame Kilpatrick, Robert Ficano and other politicians who have abused the public trust. I say that all executive-level officials elected to office should be required to purchase lawsuit insurance and—if their reckless behavior and resulting litigation causes the insurance to get cancelled, they forfeit the office.