U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee

DEARBORN — In a sit-down with The AANews, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) discussed Flint’s current conditions following the water crisis, how Governor Snyder could’ve handled the situation better, his concerns about a Donald Trump presidency and the importance of a thriving Arab and Muslim community in the state.

The AANews: What is the purpose of your visit to Dearborn?

Kildee: It’s mainly to find out more about the Dearborn community, particularly the Arab American community. I’ve spent a lot of time meeting with individuals and groups. I spent a good deal of time at ACCESS and a good deal of time at the [Arab American National] Museum, which is fascinating. Because the Arab American community is such an important part of Michigan– especially southeast Michigan– in terms of its economy and culture, it’s important for me to have a better understanding. As a member of Congress, it’s also important that I understand the relationship of the community and the U.S. government, because there have been some real difficulties. I’m particularly concerned about political speech lately, which has been very negative and is potentially destructive.  This national campaign has been really painful.

The AANews: Many local Arab American residents aren’t enthused about either presidential candidate and therefore might not turn out to vote on November 8. What message would you send to them?

Kildee: I would say there are some moments in the American political experience that transcend partisanship and even transcend policy differences. When you have a candidate like Donald Trump who seems so willing to exploit ignorance and fear and actually fuel uninformed fear for his own political purposes, there are consequences that go way beyond the outcome of the elections. For most people looking at this election that I’ve spoken to, there are two concerns: One is who are we going to elect as president and what tone will that individual set when it comes to mutual understanding within a country that is comprised of a real diversity of cultures? I don’t think Donald Trump is the right choice in that regard. The other piece of this is… we have to defeat more than just a person on the ballot. We have to defeat the kind of thinking that has been legitimized in part by a candidate running for president who thinks it’s fine to try and divide us. We should be thinking about ways to benefit from the richness of our diversity. It’s a very dangerous path he’s placed us on and it won’t end with the elections. We have a lot of work to do, no matter what happens.

The AANews: What is the update on the situation in Flint? It’s been one year since the water crisis exploded; where do you think the city stands today?

Kildee: I think the recovery is too slow, partly because the state of Michigan— which is principally responsible for what happened– hasn’t lived up to its obligations to help fix the problem. Part of it is that it’s a community that was already struggling. It’s a tough place in a lot of ways, with high unemployment and high poverty. For any community it would be tough to get past the water crisis, but it’s especially hard when there’s a high rate of poverty and when the city government itself is so limited in terms of capacity. It’s making it really hard to get through it, but we will. My concern is that time works against the city of Flint.

The AANews: How do you feel Governor Snyder has handled the situation in Flint?

Kildee: I think he’s failed. He failed to protect the people of Flint in the first place by essentially creating the situation that caused the crisis. And he failed to protect the people by basically responding to the crisis in a way that’s equal to the gravity of the crisis itself. The amount of resources that he has provided from state government and the amount of time it took him to provide those resources made a bad situation much worse. I’m a Flint kid, so I look at it from a situation where I’m trying to protect my own hometown. It feels like very much the governor and the people around him have treated this much more like a public relations problem for themselves rather than a public health crisis problem for the people of Flint. He has spent tens of millions of dollars to pay for his own criminal defense lawyers out of state money for his own potential liability for what happened. He’s much too willing to defend himself and not willing to defend the people of Flint.

The AANews: Tell us a little about the Arab American community in Flint and the lines of communication you have with them.

Kildee: There is a very active community in Flint, which has been growing but has been present for a very long time. When I was at the Museum earlier today, I saw a display that prominently depicted the story of two Flint families. My lines of communication are direct. I have a very good and close relationship with the Arab American community back home; and the community itself not only has a perspective on many of the issues that any member of Congress has to think about from a global perspective, but also the community is pretty substantial in terms of the local businesses. They have a very strong presence in medicine and a very strong presence in business. They have contributed greatly to Flint’s economy over the decades and they will continue to. It’s a strong community and one that I am really proud to represent.