Dayne Walling Character Analysis in What the Eyes Don’t See

Dayne Walling was the mayor of Flint from 2009 to 2015. Though Walling was an elected official, he had been stripped of most of his power by the time the city of Flint chose to switch its water source from the Detroit River to the Flint River. A state-appointed emergency manager, Natasha Henderson, was the one with the power to make decisions for Flint—decisions that were always aimed at cutting costs to the city’s budget. Walling and his office refused to accept any culpability in the water crisis or to stand by Mona and her team’s research at a critical juncture. He lost his bid for reelection in 2015 and was replaced by Karen Weaver.

Dayne Walling Character Timeline in What the Eyes Don’t See

The timeline below shows where the character Dayne Walling appears in What the Eyes Don’t See. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Racism and Environmental Injustice Theme Icon

...appointed an unelected emergency manager to run the city. This took power away from Dayne Walling, the passionate mayor of Flint. The emergency manager, reporting to the governor, decided to cut... (full context)

Community Values and Collective Duty Theme Icon

...to drink—and people like Mona took them at their word. On April 25th, 2014, Mayor Walling shut off the valve to the Detroit water supply and opened the pipes to the... (full context)

...or that he’d bought someone else’s lies. But soon, an email from the mayor, Dayne Walling, reached Kirk—Walling wanted to talk. Mona was relieved that someone was listening, even if the... (full context)

...that would urge Flint’s citizens to stop drinking their tap water. She worried that because Walling had overseen the switch, he might be reticent to admit his own fault in the... (full context)

...was to take place, Mona sat at the head of the table. The mayor, Dayne Walling, greeted her warmly. But across the table, Natasha Henderson (the Flint city manager) and Howard... (full context)

...listeners that inaction would mean pain and suffering for an entire generation of Flint residents. Walling spoke, thanking Mona for bringing Flint’s very real problem to light. Then Dr. Reynolds spoke,... (full context)

...officials’ reticence to act, Mona essentially delivered an ultimatum. Addressing the mayor directly, she told Walling that if his office did not make an announcement that there was a lead crisis... (full context)

Family, Tradition, and Strength Theme Icon

...noticed that it was noon—the deadline had passed, and there was still no word from Walling. (full context)

A representative from Ananich’s press office called Mayor Walling to confirm that he was aware the deadline had passed. In response, the mayor’s office... (full context)