politics and government

Last week, the Ingham County Board of Commissioners appointed Dennis Louney to represent the county’s tenth district on Lansing’s east side. The vacancy had been created by the resignation of Brian McGrain, who now runs the economic development and planning department in the city of Lansing.

Lansing elected a new mayor in 2017, and Andy Schor will take the oath of office today.

On Monday, Lansing will get its first new mayor in a dozen years when Andy Schor takes the oath of office. Virg Bernero’s 12 years in office will come to an end at 11:30 a.m. on New Years Day. Politicians have their supporters and they have their detractors, and Virg Bernero might have as wide a range of descriptions as anyone in Lansing history. While some admire his drive, others criticize his sometimes brusque demeanor. In anticipation of his departure from office, WKAR sought out a cross-section of the Lansing community to look back at Virg Bernero’s time as mayor.

Next Monday will be Virg Bernero’s last day as Mayor of Lansing. Today and tomorrow, WKAR will consider his legacy as he moves into private life. We begin today with a look at the way many will remember Virg Bernero: as America’s Angriest Mayor.

Democrat Andy Schor bid farewell to the state House of Representatives yesterday, as he prepares to serve as mayor of Lansing.

The East Lansing ballot proposals had a mixed result yesterday. A proposal to cut property taxes was approved, but a measure to create an income tax in the city failed. Because of that, the property tax cut will not go into effect unless an income tax gets voter approval in the future.

In East Lansing, voters rejected a proposal to create a new income tax on Tuesday. The income tax would have cost residents one-percent of their income, much of which was to be offset for homeowners by the passage of a property tax cut on the ballot.

It’s election day in Lansing, where voters will choose a new mayor for the first time in 12 years. The race to replace Virg Bernero as mayor in Lansing comes to a head today, with state Representative Andy Schor and city council at-large member Judi Brown Clarke hoping to win the top job.