Funeral arrangements set for Flint Councilman Eric Mays

Funeral arrangements have been made for Flint City Councilman Eric Mays, a vocal leader during the city's water crisis.

Visitation will be held from noon to 6 p.m. March 8 at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 2120 Saginaw Street in Flint, the city's Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home said.

Mays' family will be present from 4-6 p.m.

A funeral service is set for 11 a.m. March 9 at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church, 1851 West Carpenter Road in Flint. Family hour begins at 10 a.m.

Interment will follow at Sunset Hills Cemetery, 4413 Flushing Road in Flint.

Mays, 65, died Saturday at his home, city officials said.

He was first elected in 2013 and was "beloved for his bold and courageous service on behalf of Flint’s First Ward, and his strong presence will be deeply missed," officials said on the city's Facebook page.

In 2016, Flint residents told The Detroit News that Mays was one of the first elected officials to raise questions about the water quality in Flint and he often was the lone political voice talking about it. After one outburst at a council meeting, he was convicted of disorderly conduct.

Mays began attending council meetings in 1981 as a political action representative for the Flint branch of the NAACP, he told The News. He said he was kicked out of several meetings for talking too long. In 2012, he was convicted of disturbing the peace for refusing to be quiet at a public hearing.

He also was convicted of disorderly conduct when he was removed from a council meeting by police in July 2015.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

X: @CharlesERamirez