| Last Updated: October 10, 2026 |
Eric Mays was 65 years old when he died on February 24, 2024. He was a longtime Flint City Councilman, one of the first elected officials to warn about the Flint water crisis, and a viral internet figure known for his booming voice and his "Point of Order!" catchphrase. This guide covers his biography, career, family, legal battles, finances, cause of death and lasting legacy, and answers the questions people ask most about him.
1. Eric Mays Quick Facts
2. Who Was Eric Mays?
3. Early Life and Education
4. Career Before Politics
5. Political Career on the Flint City Council
6. Background: The Flint Water Crisis
7. Eric Mays and the Flint Water Crisis
8. Public Style and Famous Catchphrases
9. Legal Disputes and Disciplinary Actions
10. The 2023 Disorderly Conduct Conviction
11. What Happened to Eric Mays? Cause of Death
12. Tributes and Community Reaction
13. Eric Mays Family: Son, Grandchildren and Siblings
14. Was Eric Mays Married?
15. Estate Disputes After His Death
16. Eric Mays Net Worth at the Time of Death
17. Eric Mays Salary and Financial Background
18. The "I'm Not Playing on My Phone" Meme
19. Eric Mays on Social Media
20. Is Eric Mays a Republican?
21. Legacy and the Eric B. Mays Foundation
22. Frequently Asked Questions
23. Final Thoughts
The table below summarizes the most important facts about Eric Mays in one place. Each detail is kept short and exact so readers, search engines and AI assistants can find the answer quickly.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Eric Bradford Mays |
| Date of Birth | September 16, 1958 |
| Date of Death | February 24, 2024 |
| Age at Death | 65 years old |
| Place of Death | At his home in Flint, Michigan |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes following an illness |
| Profession | Politician, auto worker, union organizer |
| Office Held | Flint City Council, 1st Ward |
| Years of Service | November 2013 until his death (three terms) |
| High School | Flint Northern High School (class of 1976) |
| College | Michigan State University |
| Known For | Flint water crisis advocacy, "Point of Order!", viral council meeting clips |
| Children | One son, Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays |
| Grandchildren | Four |
| Marital Status | No publicly documented spouse |
| Net Worth | No verified public valuation |
Eric Bradford Mays (September 16, 1958 to February 24, 2024) was a long serving and polarizing member of the Flint City Council in Flint, Michigan. He represented the city's 1st Ward from November 2013 until his death. The City of Flint described him as a third term councilman who represented northwest Flint in its official statement mourning his loss.
To some residents he was a fearless champion who refused to stay quiet while the city struggled. To others he was a disruptive presence whose confrontations dominated council meetings. Both views are part of the story, and understanding him means looking at the full record, from his early years in Flint to his final days in office.
Eric Mays graduated from Flint Northern High School in 1976 and went on to attend Michigan State University, as noted in a Flint Beat profile of the council incumbent. His obituary at Paradise Funeral Chapel adds that at Michigan State he studied political science and pre law, played football and took part in debate.
His interest in political science, law and debate fits the way he later approached council work. He regularly raised points of order, questioned procedure and argued over the rules in public meetings. For readers trying to understand his style, his academic background offers useful context.
Before and alongside his time in elected office, Mays worked as an auto worker and union organizer, a background described in a community post about his life. Flint is historically one of the most important auto manufacturing cities in the United States, so a career in the plants and the union movement was a common path for local residents.
That working class background shaped his public image. He presented himself as an advocate for ordinary residents in a city that had lost many jobs and faced serious economic struggles. His approach to council work reflected the style of an organizer: direct, loud and focused on confronting power.
Mays joined the Flint City Council in November 2013 as the representative of the 1st Ward. He won reelection and served three terms, a point also reported by The Flint Courier. He remained on the council until the day he died, which made him one of the most recognizable members of the body for more than a decade.
The 1st Ward covers the northwest side of Flint. As its representative, Mays took part in decisions on budgets, city services, contracts and neighborhood concerns. He was known for questioning city administrators and for pressing issues even when the discussion slowed meetings down.
Mays used procedural tools aggressively. He raised points of order, demanded clarification and frequently clashed with fellow council members and local authorities. Supporters said he forced transparency. Critics said he turned meetings into spectacles. Both groups agree that few Flint officials were as widely discussed.
To understand why Eric Mays became nationally known, it helps to know what happened in Flint. In April 2014, while the city was under state appointed emergency management, Flint changed its water source from Detroit's system to the Flint River. The water was not treated properly to control corrosion, and lead from aging pipes leached into drinking water across the city. Residents reported discolored, foul smelling water and health problems long before officials publicly acknowledged the danger.
The crisis became one of the most discussed public health and environmental justice failures in recent American history. It led to emergency declarations, investigations, lawsuits and a long, ongoing effort to replace lead service lines. For many Flint residents, trust in government was damaged for years. That is the setting in which Mays built his reputation.
Eric Mays was one of the first elected officials to sound the alarm on the contamination and push for official investigations, as reported by WDET. He is described as one of the earliest and most vocal officials to raise the issue.
In the early period of the crisis, many residents felt that their complaints were being dismissed. A councilman who spoke loudly and demanded investigations gave those residents a public voice. His national profile grew because of this work, and he appeared in news coverage connected to the crisis for years.
Whatever people thought of his methods, his early insistence that the water problem was real is one of the strongest parts of his record. It is the main reason many Flint residents continued to defend him despite the controversies surrounding his conduct.
Mays was known for his booming voice, sharp exchanges and catchphrases like "Point of Order!", along with frequent and contentious standoffs with fellow council members and local authorities. This description appears in a Facebook tribute and in a Black history video segment about him.
Council meetings are public, and clips of Mays arguing, being removed or delivering memorable lines spread on social media. Michigan Public highlighted his confrontational style in its report on his death, and an Instagram reel shows how widely his meeting moments traveled online.
Government meetings rarely produce memorable video. Mays did. His timing, volume and willingness to confront anyone made his clips easy to share, and people who had never followed Flint politics came to know his voice.
Mays faced several disciplinary actions and suspensions tied to his conduct at council meetings. He was removed from meetings after disputes with the presiding officer, and these incidents became a recurring storyline in local news coverage.
He did not accept discipline quietly. He pushed back through state and federal lawsuits. After his death, his lawyer pledged to continue pursuing those cases, as covered by WDET's report on the lawyer's pledge.
The city also pursued him financially. MLive reported in 2021 that Flint sought to garnish his wages. This dispute shows how the conflict between Mays and city leadership moved from the meeting room into the courts and into his personal finances.
Many people search for this question after seeing video of his removal from meetings. The disputes over his ejections led to a 2023 disorderly conduct conviction. According to Up North Live, he was sentenced to six months of probation, which means the outcome was probation rather than a long jail or prison term.
The charge grew out of his conduct during council meetings and how he responded when asked to leave. Supporters argued that he was being punished for speaking up. Opponents argued that his refusal to follow meeting rules justified the penalty. The case added to a public debate over where the line sits between free speech for elected officials and orderly government.
Eric Mays died on February 24, 2024, at the age of 65, at his home in Flint, Michigan. ABC12 and WSGW reported that he died of natural causes after an illness.
Local officials and the Genesee County Prosecutor's office indicated the cause was natural, as noted in ABC12's coverage of the community reaction. A video report on his passing is also available.
Local leaders and officials mourned him, including Mayor Sheldon Neeley and U.S. Representative Dan Kildee. Flags at Flint City Hall were lowered to half staff in his honor. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also paid tribute, calling Mays a charismatic and beloved city councilman in a Facebook post, and he later shared a video remembering Councilman Mays.
Black Enterprise covered his burial and described how he was laid to rest after weeks of public attention surrounding his death and funeral arrangements.
A YouTube tribute collects moments from his career and shows why so many people remember him with a mix of affection and frustration.
Yes. Eric Mays had one child, his son Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays, often called Hakeem Mays. Flint Beat identified him as the councilman's only child.
Hakeem Mays became the central figure in the family's public affairs after his father's death. He was involved in the disagreement over funeral arrangements, and ABC12 reported on the dispute between the son and his father's siblings over his remains.
Hakeem Mays has four children, which makes Eric Mays a grandfather to four grandchildren, based on MLive's 2025 report about the estate.
Coverage of his funeral and estate named his sister Veronica Simon and his brother Kevin among the family members involved.
Eric Mays did not have a publicly documented wife or spouse at the time of his death, and he was never publicly reported as married. News coverage after his passing focused on his son and his siblings rather than a partner. No wife has been confirmed in reliable public reporting.
Mays died suddenly without a will. That created uncertainty about who should make decisions about his funeral, his insurance benefit and his estate, and it led to several high profile legal disputes.
The son and the siblings disagreed over where the councilman's remains should go. Flint Beat reported that the son retained the right to move the remains to a funeral home of his choosing, and the Detroit Free Press covered the funeral lawsuit in detail.
Hakeem Mays also sued the city over his father's life insurance policy. MLive reported that the policy connected to his position was valued at $75,000.
The son later filed a lawsuit naming the mayor and other officials. WWMT covered the complaint against Mayor Sheldon Neeley and other Flint officials.
The estate dispute continued into 2025, when the son sought to replace the estate's attorney, as noted in the MLive report mentioned above. These disputes show that the end of his life was as contested as his time in office.
No reliable public net worth valuation exists for Eric Mays. He was a local politician, auto worker and union organizer, not a business owner or celebrity with tracked wealth. Any exact net worth number found online should be treated with caution.
Several financial details are documented. He earned a local council salary, a city life insurance benefit valued at $75,000 was tied to his position, and the city had pursued wage garnishment over legal costs. Taken together, this points to modest finances rather than substantial private wealth.
| Financial Item | What Public Reports Say |
|---|---|
| Main Income | City council salary and earlier work as an auto worker |
| Life Insurance | City policy valued at $75,000 |
| Garnishment | City sought wage garnishment in 2021 |
| Will | None; he died without one |
| Public Net Worth | No verified valuation |
Flint City Council positions are public jobs with a salary set by the city, and the exact amount is a matter of public record at the City of Flint. This article does not state a specific figure because no verified number was available in the research used. Readers who need the exact amount should check the city's official budget documents. What is clear from reporting is that his income came from public service, and his financial picture included legal costs that became part of his disputes with the city.
The line "No, I'm not playing on my phone, I'm taking care of business" is a viral audio clip that began with a heated exchange involving Mays. During a live city council meeting, someone accused him of looking at or playing on his phone, and he replied sharply and loudly. Yahoo Entertainment explained the origin of the meme.
People on TikTok and Instagram adopted the audio as a joke about being accused of doom scrolling when they are actually deep into a very specific, petty or absurd online mission, such as investigating old high school acquaintances or arguing on forums. You can see the format in this TikTok example and this Instagram reel.
The clip works because of its delivery. The confidence, the volume and the sense of offended dignity are funny on their own, even without knowing who is speaking. Creators such as this clipper account keep posting his moments, which introduces him to new audiences long after his death.
Mays kept an active online presence. His official TikTok account, therealericmays, lists about 60 following, 218.2K followers and 644K likes. His profile also listed a Facebook page under the name Eric Mays, the handle FlintMI and a fundraising link on GoFundMe, along with a Cash App tag, $TheRealEricMays. Fans should be careful with any payment link connected to a public figure who has passed away, and should confirm that a fundraiser is legitimate and still active before sending money.
There is no confirmed reporting in the research used for this article that Eric Mays was a Republican. Flint City Council races are nonpartisan, which means candidates do not run under a party label on the ballot. He was known mostly for local advocacy, the water crisis and his fights with city leadership rather than for national party loyalty. Readers who want a definitive answer should check voter or campaign records rather than rely on rumors.
Eric Mays left behind a complicated legacy. He is remembered as a voice for residents during the water crisis, as a loud and public confronter of local government and as an unlikely internet celebrity. Even people who disagreed with his tactics often acknowledged that he cared about Flint.
His son moved to honor his father's memory by establishing the Eric B. Mays Foundation to support the Flint community. Mid Michigan NOW reported on the foundation's plans. The effort shows a path from the family's legal struggles toward community service.
His story raises useful questions about the role of elected officials. How loud should an advocate be? When does procedure protect residents, and when does it silence them? His career gives voters, journalists and students of government a real case to study.
Eric Mays, the longtime Flint City Councilman, died at his home in Flint, Michigan, on February 24, 2024, at age 65. Reports said he died of natural causes following an illness.
Eric Mays was 65 years old when he died. He was born on September 16, 1958, and died on February 24, 2024.
No reliable source confirms that Eric Mays was a Republican. Flint City Council elections are nonpartisan, and he was known mainly for local issues and the Flint water crisis.
Yes, Eric Mays had one child, a son named Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays, who has four children of his own.
Eric Mays' son is Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays, commonly known as Hakeem Mays. After his father died, he became involved in disputes over the funeral, the life insurance policy and the estate, and he later started the Eric B. Mays Foundation.
Eric Mays was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2023 after incidents at council meetings. He was sentenced to six months of probation, not a long prison term.
Eric Mays was paid a Flint City Council salary, which is a public record available from the City of Flint. No verified figure is stated here, so check the city's official budget documents for the exact amount.
There is no verified public net worth for Eric Mays. He was an auto worker, union organizer and local politician, and known financial details include a $75,000 city life insurance policy and a wage garnishment effort by the city.
No spouse has been publicly documented for Eric Mays. Coverage of his death referred to his son and siblings rather than a wife.
Eric Mays is famous for warning about the Flint water crisis early, for his "Point of Order!" catchphrase, for fiery council meeting clashes and for the viral "I'm not playing on my phone" audio clip.
It is a viral audio clip from a Flint City Council meeting in which Mays answered an accusation that he was on his phone. Online, people use it as a joke when they are accused of wasting time but are actually busy with something very specific or petty.
Eric Mays attended Michigan State University, where he studied political science and pre law. He graduated from Flint Northern High School in 1976.
Eric Mays represented the 1st Ward, which covers northwest Flint, from November 2013 until his death.
No, Eric Mays died without a will. This led to disputes between his son and siblings over his funeral arrangements, life insurance policy and estate.
The Eric B. Mays Foundation is a community focused organization established by his son, Hakeem Mays, to honor his father's legacy and support the Flint community.
Eric Mays' TikTok account is therealericmays. His profile also listed a Facebook page under his name and the handle FlintMI.
Eric Mays was one of the most recognizable local politicians in the country, and he became that way through a mix of real advocacy and unforgettable public moments. He spoke up early about the Flint water crisis, served three terms on the council, fought the city in court and became a viral sensation. His death on February 24, 2024, ended a long and often turbulent public career, and the legal disputes that followed showed how much his life still mattered to the people around him. Today his voice lives on through council footage, memes and the foundation his son created, and Flint residents continue to debate what his legacy means for the city.
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