Flint elects 2 felons to City Council

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The city of Flint, Michigan just elected two convicted felons to their City Council.

Wantwaz Davis, one of the new councilmen, served 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder of Kenneth Morris in 1991. Davis was elected to a seat in Flint’s Fifth Ward.

During an interview with NBC 25, Davis said he committed the murder after Morris sexually assaulted his mother. He was just 17-years-old.

Davis studied politics while serving his sentence.

“It’s positive because he turned his life around, and he’s doing something with his life now,” Flint resident Robert Callaway told NBC. “That’s just really inspirational.”

The other elected felon is Eric Mays, who pleaded guilty to an assault felony in 1987.  Mays was placed on one year probation after threatening a man with a gun.

The state of Michigan has no laws preventing felons from being elected officials, with the exception of public officials who have been convicted of corruption, fraud or similar charges related to service in a government position.

Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.