This week, absentee ballots will be sent out to voters for November’s election. Lansing residents will be deciding whether to reelect two-term Mayor Andy Schor or Punks with Lunch Lansing Executive Director Kelsea Hector.
WKAR News is speaking to both of them about their stances on the issues and why they’re the right choice to lead the city.
Kelsea Hector cites her years of experience in education and nonprofit work for why Lansing voters should cast their ballots for her.
"I'm a risk taker, a problem solver, and someone who is very, very community-centered," she said. "At the end of the day, it's actually not about me, it's about what solutions we can come up with as a community and how we can best move those forward together."
Hector is proposing instituting a Tenants Bill of Rights and an online dashboard tracking landlords for accountability.
"It's imperative in this moment that we don't just look at, you know, building more, but we also look at protecting what already exists, and that means protecting tenants," she said.
Hector is also criticizing how the city has handled a long-standing homeless encampment near Dietrich Park, suing to mandate its clearing from private property and then doing a sweep on September 17 as a judge ruled for the camp to be dismantled.
"We need to sit down and take an inventory of how we're actually treating our neighbors right in this current moment and how we can change that moving forward immediately."
WKAR's Sophia Saliby also spoke with Hector about gun violence and supporting local jobs and businesses.
The general election is on November 4. Early in-person voting begins October 25.
Our interview with Schor will become available tomorrow.
Interview Highlights
On increasing the city's housing stock
We definitely have to look at new development, but I think it's important to look at the stock that we already have. And so, when opportunities like the Housing Trust Fund money comes up, I think it would be really imperative for us to be applying for funds like that to help maybe transition the red-tagged houses back into more equitable living space for people, right? I think that also not just building new property, but making sure that the property we already have and the landlords that we already have are held accountable.
On boosting the number of local businesses
I think it's important to, you know, really scout out some of those anchor businesses, like we had in GM. I also think it's really important to make sure that those businesses are going to be forward-leaning in the fact of like, looking at what, you know, what gentrification looks like, what climate change looks like, how exactly those anchor businesses are going to benefit the community, and then also letting small businesses lead the charge and making sure to amp up the support for them.
On why she should lead the city
I grew up in in Eaton County but have chosen Lansing as a place to raise my family. I have, you know, years in education, nonprofit leadership, harm reduction work and really I'm a risk taker, a problem solver, and someone who is very, very community-centered, and understand that at the end of the day, it's actually not about me, it's about what solutions we can come up with as a community and how we can best move those forward together.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: This week, absentee ballots will be sent out to voters for November’s election. Lansing residents will be deciding whether to re-elect two-term Mayor Andy Schor or Punks with Lunch Executive Director Kelsea Hector.
WKAR is speaking to both of them about their stances on the issues and why they’re the right choice to lead the city.
Today, we hear from Hector. I started by asking her what her plan was to boost the city's available housing stock, especially affordable properties.
Kelsea Hector: So, I think we have to look at this at a multi-prong approach, right? So, we definitely have to look at new development, but I think it's important to look at the stock that we already have. And so, when opportunities like the Housing Trust Fund money comes up, I think it would be really imperative for us to be applying for funds like that to help maybe transition the red-tagged houses back into more equitable living space for people, right? I think that also not just building new property, but making sure that the property we already have and the landlords that we already have are held accountable.
So, maybe implementing a landlord accountability dashboard that is public and you can see, you know, the history of property is if there is a frequent reoccurrence of red-tagged on landlords' properties, and you can make a better decision for you and your family, especially because it's already so hard to get into a place, just to make sure that you're living in a place where the person that you're renting from is going to make sure that the property is upkept, right? And alongside that too, I think it's really important for us to talk about implementing a Tenants Bill of Rights. I think it's imperative in this moment that we don't just look at, you know, building more, but we also look at protecting what already exists, and that means protecting tenants. And so, you know, we look at the right to counsel and eviction proceedings.
We look at the right to repair and deduct it from your rent. We can always look at like the right to renew your lease, because I know that sometimes we're in a lease and the renewal comes up, and maybe your landlord just doesn't renew it. So, let's make sure that there's good claws for those things happening, so that we don't have more people going through the cycle of being unhoused or having housing instability. And I also want to point out, with new builds, we really do need more community benefit agreements. It's imperative that if we're building in this community, we need to also be putting money into affordable housing or making sure that there's X amount of units in new builds for affordable housing.
Saliby: Moving to a related topic of homelessness, is there a model or another community you want to emulate, or that you think would be best to serve those experiencing homelessness going forward?
Hector: I think there's really good models all over the country. I think that we really need to be looking at how we're treating our unhoused neighbors, especially with what happened yesterday, which today is the 18th that we're recording this what happened yesterday at Dietrich Park, where we swept half of an encampment, re-traumatized a whole lot of people. And so, I think that one before we even look at other places, we need to sit down and take an inventory of how we're actually treating our neighbors right in this current moment, and how we can change that moving forward immediately.
Saliby: Gun violence in the city has been relatively going down. That's according to data from the Michigan Public Health Institute and Michigan State University. How will you ensure that trend continues?
Hector: I think putting the solutions in the hands of the community, right? So, when we allow community leaders to really take the lead on solutions and going into communities and, you know, letting the youth sit at the table, that's how we continue that downward trajectory, and making sure we have a good social safety net as well.
Saliby: What is your plan to increase jobs in Lansing, especially in the downtown area, which is still feeling the impacts of COVID vacancies?
Hector: I think it's important to, you know, really scout out some of those anchor businesses, like we had in GM. I also think it's really important to make sure that those businesses are going to be forward-leaning in the fact of like, looking at what, you know, what gentrification looks like, what climate change looks like, how exactly those anchor businesses are going to benefit the community, and then also letting small businesses lead the charge and making sure to amp up the support for them, because I think we have a lot of great innovators in our community, and just given the chance, we can create a more stabilized economy in the hands of our neighbors.
Saliby: To end our conversation, I want you to give your 30-second elevator pitch to voters about why you should be Lansing's next mayor.
Hector: Absolutely, so again, my name is Kelsea Hector, and I'm running to be the next mayor of Lansing. You know, I grew up in in Eaton County but have chosen Lansing as a place to raise my family.
I have, you know, years in education, nonprofit leadership, harm reduction work and really, I'm a risk taker, a problem solver and someone who is very, very community-centered, and understand that at the end of the day, it's actually not about me, it's about what solutions we can come up with as a community and how we can best move those forward together.
Sophia Saliby: Kelsea Hector is running to lead the city of Lansing. The general election is November 4. Thank you for joining us.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
