Following Lansing Board of Education member Peter Spadafore’s announcement that he’s running for an at-large seat on the city council, a school board colleague is now joining him in the race. Guillermo Lopez was first elected to the school board in 2001.
Lopez has retired from a job as an equal opportunity specialist for the city. He says his experience has prepared him well for this step. "I've been here since 1984, when I started work for the city of Lansing," Lopez states, "so I am aware of the Lansing city government and how it works, and its good and its bad. I'm going on my 18th year (as a) school board trustee."
It's possible that both Guillermo Lopezand Peter Spadafore will win at-large council seats, something Lopez says would be a good thing, saying "I think we bring a cooperative spirit."
Lopez says neighborhoods in Lansing have been slowly deteriorating, partly due to the downturn in the economy and budget cuts. "I think we need to concentrate city services to help our residents," he explains. "If our residents are not happy, Lansing will not prosper."
He concludes that the city needs to figure out how to fix potholes and spruce up corridors into the city such as Michigan Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Saginaw Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and Cedar Street.