The Nov. 7 general election in East Lansing is shaping up to be one that could reshape the city's direction. In addition to three ballot proposals, voters will elect three candidates to represent them on the City Council.
Mayor Ron Bacon and Mayor Pro-Tem Jessy Gregg are not running for re-election, and incumbent Councilmember Noel Garcia Jr. is competing for a full term on the legislative body. That leaves three seats up for grabs.
Eight people are in the running to represent East Lansing residents. Voters can select three candidates on their ballots, and the three who receive the most votes will serve on the council for a full, four-year term through 2027.
Current councilmembers have presided over a number of issues, including the dismissal of the previous city manager and the hiring of his replacement. They've also worked to curtail a wave of resignations from city employees, address allegations of unethical behavior and weigh in on new development proposals in East Lansing.
WKAR asked the eight candidates why they want to be elected to the council. We also asked them how they would address policy issues that frequently come before the council. Here's what they said.
Candidates were told to please keep their responses to up to 250 words. Their responses have been shared without modification or editing.
Erik Altmann
Erik Altmann served on the East Lansing City Council from 2015-2019. He was Mayor Pro Tem and narrowly lost re-election in 2019.
Altmann is currently a faculty member at Michigan State University's Psychology department.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
I'm running because we need people on City Council who have experience doing the job and who will take it seriously. Erratic and opaque governance the past four years has led to an exodus of city employees, and we are now at a point where we need to rebuild the city workforce as well as the city's reputation as a good employer and a stable place to live. I served on Council previously, from 2015 to 2019, and developed a track record of professional conduct. I never missed a meeting, I based my decisions on evidence and public input, I explained my decisions, I respected the boundaries between Councilmembers and city staff, and I respected city staff for their hard work and experience. We must restore these norms of conduct at the top before we can start to rebuild the rest of the organization.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
Our strengths include beautiful neighborhoods, a reasonable cost of living, an educated and involved community, and MSU. An important policy issue concerning our neighborhoods is to maintain the rental restriction policies that have kept our neighborhoods from being entirely overrun by student rentals. These policies, developed about 20 years ago, have been so successful in the interim that people are starting to forget that there was a problem to begin with, and some candidates in the race want to undo them to increase density in our neighborhoods. I support our rental restriction policies as is, because they protect the investment that long-term residents have made in their lives here in East Lansing.
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
The immediate and critical challenge is to rebuild the city workforce and the city's reputation as a good employer and a stable place to live. The first step is to elect a stable and transparent City Council. Much of the rest will fall to the City Manager, who is the professional that the Council hires to run the city. The next Council must assign the City Manager two tasks. The first is to investigate the cause of the exodus of city employees in the past year and identify corrections. There should be a published report, because the community is following this issue closely and deserves to know what happened. The second task is to develop a plan for rebuilding the workforce and submit this to the community for discussion and to the Council for approval. The Council then must hold the City Manager accountable for progress on this plan.
A second priority for me is climate action. The climate crisis is here, and every unit of government has an obligation to reduce carbon emissions. We should be putting solar panels on municipal buildings and transitioning to electric vehicle fleets. We also need to upgrade stormwater management and other infrastructure to address severe weather events, which are happening with increasing frequency.
A third priority is public safety. The community is fed up with loud cars, speeding in neighborhoods, and failure to obey traffic signals, and the nighttime violence in the downtown. We must support and adequately resource our police and fire departments.
How would you address housing?
I strongly support the rental restriction policies that have kept our neighborhoods from being entirely overrun by student rentals. These policies protect the investment that long-term residents have made in their lives here and help attract young families to move here and put down roots. These policies, which were developed about 20 years ago, have been so successful that people are starting to forget that there was a problem to begin with, and some candidates in the race want to undo them to increase density in our neighborhoods. This would be a terrible mistake and I encourage voters to press all candidates on this issue.
We do not need more student housing in the downtown north of Grand River, but I support additional high-rise student housing south of Grand River and east of Bogue, to meet the continued high demand for apartment-style student housing close to campus.
We should ensure that areas of the city suitable for income-qualified housing are zoned appropriately. These include the commercial area on the east side of Abbot north of Burcham, where storefronts have been vacant for a while, suggesting that commercial is not the best use. I oppose a proposal under consideration by the current Council for income-qualified housing at 530 Albert. That proposal is far too consequential to be decided by the current lame-duck Council, who should defer the decision to the next Council elected by voters who are considering this issue.
How would you address public safety?
We have to return to enforcing our laws, including traffic laws and noise ordinances, and gain control of the downtown during evenings and nights. It's unconscionable that residents have to endure disruptive car noise from modified mufflers, and that residents and businesses in the downtown have to endure gunshots and other violence at all let alone on a regular basis. We need to increase staffing for the police and fire departments, although to meet this goal we have to rebuild the city's reputation as a good employer so we can attract the best candidates. My general view on hiring for police officers and firefighters is that we should pay them well, give them all the training that they and we think they need, and hold them accountable for good outcomes.
How would you address economic development?
I support growing the downtown a block north of Grand River, into areas that are now exclusively student rentals. This growth would help diversify the business profile and give people more of a reason to visit. A new office building downtown would be valuable if it brought foot traffic and more professionals to the downtown during the day. I support the use of tax increment financing for investments in infrastructure, as it has important benefits, like capture of taxes from other taxing authorities, over conventional methods of financing infrastructure. I do not support delegation of final decision-making authority to the Planning Commission, which is sometimes proposed as part of creating "redevelopment ready" communities. Final decisions should be made by the elected body.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
An important focus should be improving stormwater management infrastructure. Severe weather events are causing flooding in people's basements throughout the city, and this problem will only get worse if climate models are correct. This kind of infrastructure work is expensive, and money is available from the state and federal governments, but we don't currently have the staff to make sure that we are applying for these funds and not missing out -- so the problem again comes back to rebuilding the city workforce and its reputation as a good employer. I welcome recent road repair projects, but also want to see more progress on sidewalk improvement. We want a walkable city, but the sidewalks in our neighborhoods close to campus and downtown are in terrible shape, to the point where they impassable for those with even modest movement disabilities and it's often safer to walk in the street. We should develop a plan to bury power and utility lines to get the junk out of the sky and protect it underground, perhaps in conjunction with sidewalk replacement and road repair.
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
I oppose all three ballot measures. (1) We do not need to wait until January to swear in new Councilmembers when we only need to wait a couple of weeks until the county has certified the election. Long lame-duck sessions are a problem because outgoing Councilmembers still have power but are no longer accountable for their actions. (2) There is no good reason to expand the Council to seven seats. Five works just fine, and much bigger cities with our form of government (e.g., Arlington, VA, population 230,000) have five Councilmembers. If we had a ward system, it might improve representation to expand the number of wards, but we don't. There are also reasons not to make this change. The best way to achieve predictable decisions and full representation of voter preference is for all Councilmembers to be present at all meetings. More seats will make this less likely because there will be more scheduling conflicts, more absences, and more cases of different compositions of the council making decisions on different issues. (3) I support ranked-choice voting for single-winner elections, but for multi-winner elections like ours there is an additional process that involves transferring surplus votes from a winning candidate to other candidates still active in the tabulation. I find this process complex and not well motivated, but I encourage voters to read the petition language (available at rankMIvote.org) and decide for themselves. I would like to see elections experts at the state level examine the different variations of ranked-choice voting for multi-winner elections and authorize the one they think is best before we decide whether to adopt ranked-choice voting locally. Currently no method of ranked-choice voting is authorized in Michigan, so adopting this proposal would create a trigger law, which is a separate concern because implementation could come as a surprise in the future.
Daniel E. Bollman
Dan Bollman is vice chair of the East Lansing Planning Commission and a teaching specialist at Michigan State University's Construction Management program. He's also the founder of the East Arbor Architecture firm.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
The year after my family moved to East Lansing, I began a term of volunteer service to the City and the East Lansing Public Schools that now totals 15 straight years. Most recently, this includes eight years on the Planning Commission, including five years when I served at the commission’s chair. This service, and my experience as a municipal employee have provided a solid understanding of the workings of local government and an appreciation for the work of our city employees.
In the past several years, I sought appointment to City Council vacancies; the first attempt followed the two abrupt departures in July 2020, then once again after a councilmember resignation in 2022. I was interviewed and was selected as a finalist on both occasions before ultimately being passed over. Despite this, I did not end my appointed obligations, but continued my service to the city.
I intend to continue an active role in ensuring that East Lansing remains a progressive, engaged city that welcomes the entire community. I will bring an experienced perspective to the City Council that includes thorough understanding of economic development, construction, planning, zoning and urbanism.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
Michigan State University is fundamental to our identity as a city. Many of us derive our income from the University, either directly or indirectly. We all benefit from its proximity and the vitality it brings. We can acknowledge our dependence on our university neighbor while still expecting a seat at their table. I intend to actively maintain and strengthen that relationship between "town and gown."
Additionally – and quite likely because of Michigan State University – East Lansing enjoys a diverse, informed population. Opportunities for community engagement are available at numerous levels. Neighborhood organizations give a voice to smaller block groups. Similarly, the public schools depend on the volunteer commitments of parents and guardians. And the City’s advisory Boards and Commissions represent a broad range of interests, allowing our concerned public to choose their opportunity and to actively participate in crafting a better East Lansing.
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
In the last year, the city has lost a significant number of critical employees with long-term experience and thorough understanding of city policies and practices. While we address the cause of the departures and determine a solution, we must acknowledge our collective intolerance of error, where any perceived misstep is seized upon and magnified, often under the social media lens. This coarseness frequently extends to city staff – our local experts on matters ranging from public safety and recreation to urban planning and public utilities. I intend to place my trust in the advice of city staff as we work to solve our myriad problems. In that effort, we must permit staff the luxury of an occasional error, especially when we ask them to seek creative or innovative solutions.
Similarly, the City will accept new leadership this fall, including a new manager and mayor. The majority of the Council may change, and the new Council might include individuals with limited municipal government experience. Likewise, Michigan State University is currently conducting a search for a new President and the City will undoubtedly be affected by this decision.
How would you address housing?
Our nation’s housing shortage is evidenced locally by limited supply and high prices. In addition to identifying an unmet demand for more residential units, the city's 2021 Target Market Analysis indicated a need for varied housing types, including duplexes and townhouses. These buildings can be comfortably constructed adjacent to and within residential neighborhoods without impacting the existing character. Increasing the housing supply will provide access to the amenities and services available to our downtown adjacent neighborhoods which currently remain out of reach for a significant portion of new residents, including young families and recent graduates.
How would you address public safety?
In 2021, I rode along with a public safety officer during a late evening shift. We began the evening at EL Fresco when Albert Street was crowded with families. Children were enjoying the available activities, with parents watching nearby. We returned near the end of the shift and found – unsurprisingly – that the mood had shifted. The nearby bars were about to close, and most of the on-duty police were in the immediate area.
I make a point of saying that we need to trust the input from our local experts on city staff; the Police Department is no exception. The police are unique in that their regular activities may include restraining, detaining or arresting a citizen. As such, our police department (and fire department) need to be fully staffed, appropriately trained and adequately compensated. In particular, I am heartened to see teams of public safety officers and neighborhood resource specialists establishing a presence on walking patrols downtown.
How would you address economic development?
During my service on the Planning Commission, we have reviewed and recommended action on a Form-based Code and Auxiliary Dwelling Units that may encourage innovative development. The drafts of these ordinances encourage mixed land uses, compact design and varied housing options. Lacking the necessary Planning staff, those proposals have not been forwarded to City Council for their review.
Instead of seeking development in remote locations of the city, which usually require dependence on motorized transport, we should seek options that create more walkable neighborhoods. Specifically, we should concentrate our development efforts in locations where the necessary infrastructure already exists. Naturally, this includes roads, power, electricity and sewer, but also features easy access to parks, schools, the library, and downtown shops.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
See Question #8
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
The Charter Amendment proposals seem practical, with reasonable arguments in support and in opposition. As such, the proposals deserve proper consideration. I do not understand the rush to decide on them this year. Our work on Council should focus on reestablishing staff stability and rebuilding confidence in the elected leadership. One step toward that end would be to create a charter review commission to study the proposals and fully consider the many possible implications.
Noel Garcia Jr.
Noel Garcia Jr. was appointed in January to serve on the East Lansing City Council and is running for a full-term. He's a former Lansing police officer and currently teaches law enforcement at the Wilson Talent Center at Ingham Intermediate Schools.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
I have learned of the importance of advocacy and relationship building since being North Lansing's first community policing officer early in my career at the Lansing Police Department in 1992. Since that time, I have always been involved in advocacy in some form or fashion, from statewide on the Hispanic Latino Commission, to most recently being appointed on the East Lansing City Council in January of 2023. I have learned through successes and some failures of the importance of working together in strong positive relationships. If we think back and look at what some of East Lansing’s challenges have been in the past 5 years, we can arguably see that strained relationships have been the root cause of much of our misfortunes. From the separation agreement with the prior city manager, to the resignation of two city councilmembers in one meeting, to the exit of many high level employees within the organization, strained relationships have affected East Lansing’s efficiency tremendously. I think my record shows I am a champion of working in groups and managing relationships for the good of the cause. Currently, I am one of five members of council that do not agree all the time and often our votes are reflective of that. We rarely vote on issues unanimously and rarely vote in groups, yet we are able to walk away from very important decisions and meetings with a friendship and a willingness to move forward positively for the progress of the city. Proof of this is that every member of the council has endorsed me as a candidate to remain on city council.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
East Lansing has many strengths which include its diversity and its very engaged community. We made the decision 12 years ago, when my twin boys were of age to enter school, to enroll them in East Lansing through school of choice because of the lack of diversity in the community we were living in just north of Lansing. The community we were living in had a great academic school district; however, it had no diversity which troubled us. The boys were accepted at East Lansing and were assigned to Red Cedar School which thrived in diversity. In the next two years we were able to sell our house and purchase a home in East Lansing. Our love for East Lansing has continued and strengthened every day. Almost immediately I saw a very engaged community in East Lansing which makes East Lansing a very welcoming place for everyone. I have witnessed this many times in the ten years I have lived here through my efforts in getting onto the school board 5 years ago as well as while being appointed to the city council earlier this year. In my life I have lived in three different communities, and East Lansing’s engagement is by far most impressive.
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
I think that finding affordable housing projects in the city is of utmost priority. For many years, developers have proposed projects that were represented as being single-family housing. Of course, much of this has become student apartment housing, and there was not much sincere effort to build single-family homes downtown. I personally would question how many families would consider moving across the street from The Riv or Harper's. Single-family housing is an important consideration for our city, but the effort must be city-wide, not just downtown.
Sustainable, responsible economic growth is another priority. I have opposed the Bailey Street project that would demolish our city's last surface parking lot, ostensibly for the goal of creating more student apartments. This would create a tiny percentage of our city's housing at the expense of existing business who rely on
the parking lot and have invested in the city with the expectation that we would sustain our parking system.
Developing effective and responsive community policing is another priority. Early on in my law enforcement career, I was privileged to have been one of the first community police officers in north Lansing in the Northtown Neighborhood Association. I know from experience that community policing works in reducing crime and engaging citizens as partners in neighborhood and community improvement. I would like to see East Lansing Police Department continue its commitment to community policing and dedicate more personnel and resources to implement this initiative. Many of our East Lansing neighborhoods are complaining of quality-of-life issues at the neighborhood level that can be improved with a dedicated community police officer. To properly dedicate the department to community policing, we must ensure that our staffing levels are adequate to do so. I suspect that the East Lansing Police Department is understaffed and would like to encourage our city manager to conduct staff studies to identify appropriate staffing levels. Over the years, the East Lansing Police Department has seen a decrease in staffing levels by nearly 20 officers.
How would you address housing?
This was answered in a previous question: I think that finding affordable housing projects in the city is of utmost priority. For many years, developers have proposed projects that were represented as being single-family housing. Of course, much of this has become student apartment housing, and there was not much sincere effort to build single-family homes downtown. I personally would question how many families would consider moving across the street from The Riv or Harper's. Single-family housing is an important consideration for our city, but the effort must be city-wide, not just downtown.
Sustainable, responsible economic growth is another priority. I have opposed the Bailey Street project that would demolish our city's last surface parking lot, ostensibly for the goal of creating more student apartments. This would create a tiny percentage of our city's housing at the expense of existing business who rely on the parking lot and have invested in the city with the expectation that we would sustain our parking system.
How would you address public safety?
This was answered in a previous question: Developing effective and responsive community policing is another priority. Early on in my law enforcement career, I was privileged to have been one of the first community police officers in north Lansing in the Northtown Neighborhood Association. I know from experience that community policing works in reducing crime and engaging citizens as partners in neighborhood and community improvement. I would like to see East Lansing Police Department continue its commitment to community policing and dedicate more personnel and resources to implement this initiative. Many of our East Lansing neighborhoods are complaining of quality-of-life issues at the neighborhood level that can be improved with a dedicated community police officer. To properly dedicate the department to community policing, we must ensure that our staffing levels are adequate to do so. I suspect that the East Lansing Police Department is understaffed and would like to encourage our city manager to conduct staff studies to identify appropriate staffing levels. Over the years, the East Lansing Police Department has seen a decrease in staffing levels by nearly 20 officers.
How would you address economic development?
I believe that our city government is in strong shape overall. Although I am not a long-time Councilmember, I've been in city government as we passed our current budget and chose new leadership for the city by appointing a permanent City Manager. People come to East Lansing from around the world. That's why our city's finances are in strong shape and in order to balance last year's budget, we actually had to provide $1.2 million in additional services. We are working to restore police and fire department positions, and this is essential given our position as a Big Ten university town. We are working on a clear set of budget priorities that guide our decision-making: A vibrant economy that sustains the environment. Building up our transportations systems and our infrastructure. We will work to improve recreation and cultural opportunities. We strive for all this so in the end we will have a strong, safe, diverse community that is well-governed.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
Addressing infrastructure is a balance of needs, wants and resources. We need to prioritize existing infrastructure that needs maintenance to avoid higher future costs. We need to intelligently plan new projects with sustainability in mind. Over arching all these concerns is equitable access and fair distribution of city resources.
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
I voted to support expanding the City Council from 5 to 7 members and believe this will improve our city government and allow for more perspectives and greater opportunities for the Council to be involved with collaborative projects. The County has 15 Commissioners, and the City of Lansing has 8 Councilmembers. With seven, we would have the same number as local townships, which generally have smaller budgets and staffing. I don't support ranked-choice voting. We already have elections with multiple positions open, such as the current "vote for three" election where residents can choose one, two or three of the candidates. I also can't support special elections for Councilmember vacancies. The last two such vacancies involved partial terms that were less than a year in length. Waiting to fill a partial term by special election will only result in a council that's short-handed for months at a time. I am opposed to rank choice voting.
Rebecca Kasen
Rebecca Kasen is the executive director of the Women's Center of Greater Lansing and serves on the East Lansing Human Rights Commission.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
I strongly believe that my progressive, anti-racist perspective is very much needed right now in our City Government. Our government's values should be a reflection of those of the community, and ours is one of diversity, cultural inclusivity, and intellectually curiosity. I want the best for ALL of our residents, and I plan on bringing that mindset to my work as a member of City Council.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
Our amazing diversity of nearly every kind - age, religious background, cultural heritage - you name it, this is one of our City's greatest strengths. It is high time we begin to embrace this and view it as the tremendous strength that it is.
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
Housing affordability is of course a major challenge, which just one reason why I fully support the Bailey St. Lot development. City Staff morale is another. We need to let our municipal employees know that we are behind them 100%. We need to ensure that the new City Manager is doing his best to hire and retain the best staff, and make sure they are happy in their jobs.
How would you address housing?
The Bailey Street Lot development is a sorely needed good start to addressing our affordable housing crisis. It will also help bolster our downtown businesses by bringing them much needed foot traffic. We also need to continue and deepen our engagement with local and established affordable housing providers who can do the work the City can't. Groups like the Capital Area Housing Partnership (CAHP) and the Spartan Housing Collaborative (SHC) are and will be critical to this effort.
How would you address public safety?
We need to start rebuilding the trust between our police and the community. We can do this by a return to true community policing. Programs like Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) are designed to help build and rebuild partnership between the police and neighborhoods. We need to invest in programs like this to begin to bridge this divide.
How would you address economic development?
Over the past decade or more, City administrators have been almost exclusively focused on our downtown, but we are a 13.5 square mile community, not just a downtown! We need to broaden our approach to economic development. Our City's businesses operate out of office parks, strip centers, and even people's homes. We need to broaden our efforts so that all of our businesses can thrive.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
Our DPW has been underfunded and under resourced for far too long. Conversations I have had with current and former City staff indicate that of all our City departments over the past few years, morale at DPW has been the lowest. Our DPW workers feel overworked and underappreciated. We need to change this. We need to make sure that the new City Manager is fully funding our Department of Public Works and ensuring it is sufficiently staffed to address the ongoing infrastructure needs of our City.
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
I support all three. All of them represent concrete actions to support our local democracy.
Mark Meadows
Mark Meadows has held several positions in state and local government, including assistant attorney general and member of the Michigan House of Representatives. He's a former East Lansing city councilmember who served as mayor from 1997-2005 and 2015-2019.
Meadowsresigned during a 2020 council meeting after a contentious vote regarding a the firing of a city employee.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
I don't have an elevator pitch. I have been at EL voter doors almost every year since 1993. We often catch up, sometimes talk about people we both know, and then, if asked or if commented on, talk about the things they like or don't like about what is going on in EL--generally the perceived dysfunction of the City Council, the hiring of the new City Manager, the loss of 50 employees, the failure of the Council to explain its actions, and any other thing the voter wants to bring up. I go to doors to learn, not to preach.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
Its Citizens. People from over 120 different nations, its large Muslim population, the diversity in its schools, the willingness of its people to take bold action to rebuild its schools. The commitment to public participation, its festivals, the warmth and friendliness of its people, the willingness to help others, etc. There is no place like it. The adult population is the third most educated in the nation. After living here for over half my life, I can't imagine living anywhere else or why anyone would want to live anywhere else
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
Replacement of the workforce that resigned over the last year, causing an incredible loss of experience in critical areas of governance; addressing public safety issues; reestablishing a respected and stabilizing City administration.
How would you address housing?
I don't think we have a housing crisis but housing is an element of every Council's work. Because we are a University Community, most of our housing is rental. With the number of students now in excess of 50,000, we need to anticipate an increased demand for student housing in EL. That may be two years away. We also need to increase housing diversity in EL by adding additional low to moderate income housing,
How would you address public safety?
I would like to see us repopulate the Police Force and the Firefighters to levels that we had in prior years, Our police shifts have three officers on them and we used to have 7 on them. Many nights our northern neighborhoods have no patrols. The same is true for our firefighters. Fewer personnel doing the work of what was a larger force and an increase of calls for help.
How would you address economic development?
I have served on the Council for 17 years and on the DDA for 12 of those years. During that time, one of my objectives was to reduce the burden of supporting the cost of government from largely homeowners by increasing the size of the business community in EL. I will continue to pursue that objective if elected. We have the DDA, DMB, and our membership in LEAP working for us--in addition to being the most attractive place to live in the region.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
The City is taking advantage of the recognition by the State and Federal governments that infrastructure maintenance and replacement is a priority. 20% of our income tax revenues are dedicated to this objective also. I would like to see us shift the burden of maintaining sidewalks to the general fund and remove it from adjoining homeowners in our residential neighborhoods.
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
I am voting "no" on all three. The ranked choice provision is just a placeholder since it cannot be currently implemented and I don't agree that the Charter should be used in such a way. There is no need to increase the size of the Council. There is no need to move the swearing in date from November to the first Tuesday after January 1. That would just create a "lame duck" Council that could do all sorts of mischief.
Joshua Ramirez-Roberts
Joshua Ramirez-Roberts is a Michigan State University graduate and is currently a student teacher at East Lansing High School. He's served on the University Student Commission and previously worked in the state legislature.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
The past few years have revealed deep flaws within city management with devastating staff turnover and poor budgetary management, along with a lack of transparency, leading to a widespread distrust of city government. On top of this, There seems to be a lack of direction and forethought to city infrastructure, with regard to recent development policy, that could lead to long term problems for residents and local businesses. East Lansing is where I was born and it’s the only place I’ll ever call home. Given this, I care deeply about its long term health and affordability and want to see the city run as smoothly as possible while maintaining a vibrant local economy and community. I strongly believe that I have solid solutions for these issues and that I have the determination and adaptability that would make me the best candidate for putting East Lansing back on track.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
As one of the most educated cities in the nation, our strength undoubtedly lies in our residents and the incredible base of knowledge and experience that they provide. With Michigan State at our center, we are able to continuously produce new brainpower to fuel the community. As I've been door-knocking the amount of experts and specialists that I have been able to talk to is genuinely incredible and something that is only possible in a place like East Lansing. These experts are currently being underutilized by the city when analyzing policy decisions. Speaking geographically, our proximity to the Capitol provides a host of well-paying and stable jobs, easy access to key decision makers, and a diverse set of economic opportunities.
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
Out of all the problems our community must tackle, replenishing and stabilizing the city's workforce is by and far the most urgent. Before any other hurdles can be tackled, our employees must first be well supported in their day to day operations in order to maintain the basic functions of governance and provide necessary services to the community. Only once this goal is accomplished can other issues be solved. The city's approach to one issue in particular, development, needs to be seriously reconsidered so as to better understand the long term implications of current decision making. At the current pace at which new projects are being approved, we simply do not have the transportation network or emergency service capacity to cope with our rate of growth. Before we can move forward with such impactful developments, we must first update and revise our master plan, one that was designed before COVID and all of the economic upheaval that has followed. There has also been a noted uptick in frequency and severity of crime throughout the community from thefts to shootings. We must begin to address these acts with a holistic and regional approach that acknowledges, and cooperates with, our neighboring municipalities. While all of this occurs our city still lacks a robust budget that is able to make the progress required towards funding the city's outstanding legacy costs while simultaneously supporting new projects that push our community forward towards a cleaner and more environmentally centered future.
How would you address housing?
East Lansing is in desperate need of affordable housing for low and mid-income residents, however the city's current favoritism towards rental only developments is inherently shortsighted. Developers have bought up the vast majority of the city’s affordable home stock for rental properties, creating an internal affordable housing crisis. As we scramble to replenish our lost supply these developers then return to us, agreeing that there is no affordable home stock left and offering us their final solution, rental only developments. We embrace these proposals, open armed as though our tribulations are over and the best is yet to come, unable to recognize that the fox that now sells us eggs is the same that robbed us of our coop. Whether we like it or not, ownership is the means by which members of our society accrue wealth and escape from underneath an eternal cycle of rent poverty. By continuing to expand increasing portions of our city to rental only projects, we serve only to perpetuate the cycle of abuse. Subverting and fighting against this cycle is only possible through advocating for and demanding the creation of affordable new ownership opportunities. Council can directly pursue the building of starter homes at its Coleman Rd property while also incentivizing the addition of mixed use condos to the eastern portion of the grand river corridor. In doing so we will economically empower new demographics and work to allow those graduating from the student body the chance to make East Lansing their forever home.
How would you address public safety?
The classic safety issue that has plagued East Lansing for decades has been the drunken antics of students that have the potential to balloon to riotous proportions. The fact of the matter is that drunk college students will always exist in East Lansing and the current composition of our downtown reflects this. We need to diversify the late night options in our downtown in order to pull students away from bars and towards less destructive activities. I’ve advocated for this during my time on the University Student Commission and as it currently stands the only real activities to engage in on a Friday night in East Lansing include drinking. By putting new and attractive late night options in the downtown area we can reduce assaults, begin to ease the load on local law enforcement, and create an atmosphere in which everyone feels safe in the downtown. We must continue in our discussions of how best to create equitable policing systems and reduce use of force incidents. It should a goal of council to be able to get the police force to a point at which they are able to reduce their shifts down from 12hrs. A shorter shift means less stress and the increased ability to make measured decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
How would you address economic development?
East Lansing’s future should be centered on providing new opportunities for small business owners. As development continues in the downtown space we are increasingly seeing small business owners being forced out and replaced by national chains. We should be reaching out to communities such as Ann Arbor and Mason to see how they are able to effectively support local business. By empowering small businesses we increase the amount of money that is being put back into the community instead of being sent back to corporate headquarters on the other side of the country. I have mentioned it before, and I will mention it again, but the Eastern portion of Grand River is in desperate need of a makeover. This area of town is heavily dependent upon car infrastructure and sees little foot traffic or attention from students or residents. By extending the tree-shaded boulevards of our downtown all the way to Hagadorn we can create a new economic hub that provides ample opportunities to local entrepreneurs. By incentivizing low-moderate income mixed use condos in this same area we can provide quality housing stock and create an incredible space of walkability. We should not be destroying greenspaces in the name of profit, we should be streamlining our already developed areas to promote smarter and less obtrusive growth.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
With the concerted push towards high density development taking place in our downtown and the potential removal of parking that such development would entail it is vital that the city rethink its infrastructure to match the new landscape of our downtown and to put the city on a greener path. With the Whitmer and Biden administration's focus on infrastructure investment, we could take full advantage and revamp the eastern portion of Grand River into a tree laden boulevard, as is the case with the downtown portion. This would increase walkability and encourage economic growth in an underutilized portion of our community. In regards to transportation, we need to enter into discussions with CATA and the municipalities that it services to optimize existing bus routes while also formulating new methods by which to service neighborhoods that are less intrusive than the traditional bus.
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
I find the ballot initiative to expand the council to seven members to be wholly unnecessary. I understand the belief that it will increase the diversity of opinions on council but it will also cause election cycles to become even more crowded along with spreading city resources thin with the additional council salaries along with the new assistants that the sixth and seventh council members would require. I can see these additions diluting the ability of council to act swiftly and ultimately jamming city efforts and leading to deadlock. I will be voting against the ballot proposal to move back the swearing in dates of councilmembers as a longer lame-duck period serves to benefit no one except for outgoing councilmembers that are no longer accountable to public opinion. I will be voting no on the proposal to implement ranked choice voting as not only is the language within the proposal unclear but ranked choice voting is not even legal in Michigan.
Kerry Ebersole Singh
Kerry Ebersole Singh is the executive vice president and chief talent solutions officer at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. She helped launch several programs developed under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including the Futures for Frontliners and MI Reconnect initiatives.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
The City of East Lansing is at a crossroads. East Lansing has lost a considerable amount of talent in the senior management ranks which has created an unstable environment for the community. East Lansing is an important leader in the region and having a stable city council that works collaboratively with a rebuilt city staff will be important in the years to come. I believe the city needs strong leaders that have significant management experience to help turnaround the city. I believe that my experience in managing statewide initiatives, my background in economic development and workforce development will be a valuable resource for the city council.
I am committed to driving regional collaboration, spurring smart economic development growth, retaining talent, stabilizing the city’s workforce, and strengthening our arts, culture, and public spaces. I am ready on day one to work with the city staff to make East Lansing an even better place to call home, go to school, raise families, and grow opportunities.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
The residents of East Lansing are one of the biggest strengths. From their expertise to creativity to diversity to community bond there is no better place than East Lansing. We are passionate and deeply invested in our community and are the key to making our community a model university town in North America.
Of course you can't talk about strengths of East Lansing with out mentioning, Michigan State University, our schools, neighborhoods, arts, culture and green spaces (parks) are all second to none, lending us all the building blocks to be what we aspire to be a community that is best in class, setting the bar for other communities to strive to achieve.
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
The biggest challenge facing our community today is the vacant positions and turnover that has recently taken place in our city's workforce. We pay the highest taxes in the region and need to ensure our city services can be delivered in the top notch way we have grown to expect. We need to work with the city manager to ensure we are aggressively recruiting to fill positions, but also recruiting experienced staff that can help lead the departments. If elected i would be happy to work with the city manager in building systems based on best practices and work toward not only rebuilding staff capacity but respect and trust between staff and city leadership.
Second to the immediate challenges of our city's workforce I would also mention we are in dire need of articulating our shared vision and strategy for our community. Currently it lives in parts from the city's master plan to the strategic plan that is a list of tasks. We need to come together and vocalize who we aspire to be. To me, I want to live in a community that is setting best practices not reacting to the issues of the day, to drive progress, to leverage every asset in the community to create an outstanding place to live, work and play for a multigenerational community that flourishes. I know if we come together to imagine that vision together we will unite to create it. I believe East Lansing's best days are yet to come.
How would you address housing?
Offering access to affordable and quality housing, at every price point, is important for a thriving community. I would support the city aggressively pursuing state and federal resources to implement housing solutions for our community. We should also look to see if recent tools developed by the legislature such as Tax Increment Financing funding for affordable housing are appropriate for some of our housing needs.
How would you address public safety?
Public safety is a core function of local government. I would support the Police and Fire Departments filling all vacant positions immediately. East Lansing should continue to implement their community policing strategies and work to implement changes offered by the Police Oversight Board.
How would you address economic development?
I support local economic development and believe that my professional background will be a valuable asset to the Council. The City should tap the talent and expertise of groups like the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lansing Economic Area Partnership to help us shape our strategic plan/master plan for the community in addition to robust neighborhood engagement. I am supportive of working in a regional fashion on economic development with other local governments and in partnership with organizations like the Chamber and LEAP.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act offers the state and communities a unique opportunity to promote infrastructure upgrades, which include roads, bridges, public transit, EV charging, weatherization, building code implementation, energy efficiency revolving program, broadband and beyond. We need to ensure that city staff will aggressively explore all opportunities to bring in federal and state resources. I am committed to updating our strategic plan developed to ensure that state and federal opportunities are fully leveraged to benefit the community prioritizing preparing for climate resilience (prepare for more occasions severe weather) and implementing the Complete Streets blueprint.
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
1) I am against changing the swearing-in date - no need to extend a lame duck period.
2)I am supportive of expanding the council to 7 - most like size communities in MI have 7 council positions.
3) I am supportive of rank choice voting in concept, but against the ballot amendment until state policy is changed so rank choice voting can be implemented in local municipalities.
Christopher Wardell
Christopher Wardell is the chief of staff for state Rep. Kevin Coleman (D-Westland). Wardell is vice chair for the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition's board of directors and serves on the East Lansing Arts Commission.
Why are you running for East Lansing City Council? What’s your elevator pitch for why voters should elect you?
To work with the new City Manager to build up our workforce in city hall. To fix our current infrastructure, sidewalks - to help make our city more walkable; safe for my 4-year-old to be able to walk to school someday soon and safe for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Safe neighborhoods. Crack down on speeding, garbage, petty theft’s like my son’s pumpkins being stolen everywhere. No broken glass on the sidewalks as well.
In your opinion, what are East Lansing’s biggest strengths?
East Lansing’s biggest strength is its people. We are a university town, and everyone that lives here is extremely intelligent and in tune with what’s happening in the city and at MSU. We have a chance to tap into this knowledge along with our friends at MSU. We have assets on both sides of Grand River and we need to collaborate more. Same with the City of Lansing. Imagine if we all came together to work on the important issues?
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing the city right now?
The biggest issue is building our workforce in City Hall right now. We have had a lot of turnover, and I don’t know entirely why (and I can’t speculate as I don’t have all the facts), but we must move forward with Mr. Belleman to address this before we can address the other issues.
How would you address housing?
My boss Kevin Coleman is the Chairp of the Subcommittee on Housing, and people are begging for housing. The average rent in $901 dollars in East Lansing. I want to work with not for profit developers to find more housing opportunities. I would like to bring in stakeholders from all sides to convene and discuss solutions. Many people who work at MSU can’t afford to live here. Many live in surrounding communities. My son’s teachers t his school live in other communities.
How would you address public safety?
- We need to bring patrols back to our neighborhoods with safe, and I want to be clear here. EQUITABLE policing. Where I live in the Bailey neighborhood We have broken glass, my car was broken into and medicine was taken, my son’s pumpkins have been stolen off our porch two years in a row. There’s broken glass on the sidewalks, and as a father of a four-year-old, this is unacceptable to me. Even more unacceptable to me is the speeding in neighborhoods. People regularly blow through the yield sign near our house where many children play, and where my four year old son is learning how to ride a bike.
- Public safety services are important. And I’m going to advocate for improving our departments. Making sure people are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. As stated earlier, we can bring back safe and equitable policing to our neighborhoods.
In 2017 the city had 70 something police officers, and now we have 42 sworn in officers and 29 sworn in officers. We need to build our fire fighting force back up as well.
How would you address economic development?
I’ve worked on bills in the house to provide economic incentives for black and brown business owners, and we need more diverse businesses. Mom and pop businesses, as they say. I would like to see El Fresco a year round amenity. I think we have a real opportunity to use that space for fun winter events, celebrating other cultures and holidays, a music festival…
We need to preserve our current businesses by protecting what little parking we have. I am wholly against the Bailey Development project as it’s not really affordable housing, and it will not help single families looking to move to East Lansing. We are all set on places where you can get chicken wings.
How would you address the city’s infrastructure?
As a disability rights activist, it’s important for me to fix our sidewalks, again, to make them more accessible to persons with disabilities, kids, and the elderly.
I want to continue fixing our sewers and preventing the inevitable flooding from our changing climate. More green spaces; more community gardens.
Holding landlords and tenants accountable for garbage left on curbs and sidewalks.
Where do you stand the three ballot proposals coming before voters? (changing the council swearing-in date, expanding the council from five to seven members and supporting ranked-choice voting)
I am a no on lame duck sessions. We must get the newly elected council members sworn in as soon as possible. I am a no on expanding the council. We need to pay our council members more for their time. For example, a Lansing City Councilmember makes around $24,000 a year for their time. EL Councilmembers make around $8,000; the mayor makes $10,000.
I think I forgot to answer the ranked choice voting. I like it, and I’m in favor of it. I have a friend who I originally thought was a supporter, but I quickly found out we disagreed on this issue. I met with this person and we knocked doors, and he explained why RCV is important. After hearing his points, I changed my mind, and he decided to support me and now has one of my signs in his yard.
I will always listen to to residents, meet with them, and listen to all sides - agree or disagree. My phone number will be readily available.
