Latest news with #LansingCityCouncil
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lansing City Council Fourth Ward Candidate: Zacharie Spurlock
Here are the responses from Lansing Fourth Ward Candidate 2025 Zacharie Spurlock to the 6 News Pre-Primary Candidate Questionnaire. Mr. Spurlock did not provide any social media or website links as requested in the survey. My name is Zacharie Spurlock, and I've lived in Lansing for roughly 4 years, in both the Westside and Genesee Neighborhoods. I'm running to represent Ward 4 on Lansing's City Council because honestly, I have grown tired of career politicians, wealthy individuals and unresponsive representatives sitting in seats of power. This is a national issue, but more topically, it's an issue that is banging on Lansing's front door as well. I want to help the residents of Ward 4 succeed in whatever they're doing, whether that be fighting for tenant's rights, building new infrastructure or coming together as a community to do projects. Ward 4 deserves somebody who isn't running to try to line their pocket books, bolster their career or step on resident's backs to get a leg up for their political future. On that note, one pledge I am very proud to stand behind is my pledge to donate 20% of my Council Member salary directly back to Ward 4 via a system of grants. This would equate to roughly $5.5k a year, or about $22k for my term of 4 years. So far, I am the only candidate to commit to this pledge. Applicants such as community gardens, cultural centers and neighborhood associations would be welcome to apply. In my opinion, it's time for politicians to put their money where their mouth is instead of just raking in tax-payer's money to do little, or in some cases, nothing. Additionally, one of my priorities would be to introduce a salary freeze for at least 2 years for any elected official, or 1 year for any appointed official in the city. It's not morally right to accept a pay increase while residents are living paycheck-to-paycheck. I am currently working as a bartender at American Fifth Distillery, but have previously worked at Lansing Parks and Recreation, Meridian Township Clerk's Office and Red Cedar Spirits. I would utilize my combined experience to bring a community-focused seat to the Council. Council Members are elected to represent either their unique Ward (1 of 4), or be anAt-Large Representative (overseeing the city as a whole). Typically, this system allows forindividual Wards to get the attentive care that they need from their elected Representative, whileallowing 'floating' Reps to assist with city-wide in many cases we see these Ward-specific Reps lose sight of that mindset, andthey strive to be faux At-Large Reps. There is nothing wrong with focusing on the city as awhole, while also prioritizing your Ward specifically. That is my vision as an elected official forthis position, and I would strive to steer my colleagues in a similar that note, I believe that's why the citizens of Lansing are losing faith in their electedofficials. If you're elected to represent a Ward, but you go MIA for multiple months, it doesn'texactly instill confidence for the constituents who put you on the Council to represent governance, it's the Council's job to maintain laws, checks and balances to ensurethe city is running properly, while also focusing on Ward-specific problems. These checks andbalances aren't just for the Council, but also for the mayor and other officials too. That's why it'scrucial to have somebody who you truly feel listens and represents you seated on the Council. Let's not incorrectly paint this as just an availability crisis. Let's shine the light on whatthe bigger issues are: Affordability and property maintenance. Across the country, people arestruggling. A recent CNBC survey found that roughly 77% of Americans are feeling anxiousabout their financial security. Readers, if you've felt this sting and insecurity, you're not let's talk about the roughly 700 red-tagged buildings in Lansing. There are variousreasons for these buildings being tagged, but many were rental properties that have beenplaced in the system and rarely followed-up on. At bare minimum, if we started here and workedwith owners and contractors to build/repair working-class apartments, I think positive strideswould be made in affordable and available housing. Landlords need to be held accountable fortheir failings to protect their property, their tenant's safety, and the value of the neighborhoodtheir failing properties I am in full support of the Tenant's Bill of Rights for Lansing that has beenproposed by the organization 'Rent is Too Damn High'. Topically, the 4th right on said documentspeaks on fair chance access to housing, preventing landlords from denying housing on thebasis of criminal history. While more manufacturing workers come to the city, it's important thatwe give everybody a fair chance to housing, regardless of their where there are multiple plans for 'high-cost' apartment complexes coming toLansing, it's time we shifted focus to working-class complexes in areas that make sense. I have pledged to have at minimum two meetings with constituents per month, at timesaccessible to all. During these meetings, I would speak on past/current/upcoming votes onCouncil, while also taking time to address how national policies are affecting residents. Inaddition, I have also pledged that my first bill introduced would make it mandatory for CouncilMembers and the Mayor to meet with constituents at minimum once a month at an easilyaccessible of right now, there is no such requirement. This would be a great starting point forelected officials to have a chance to talk to their constituents while also holding themaccountable if they choose to not do so, or if they choose to do so at hard-to-access being said, if there is a disagreement that springs up, I think it's important that theCouncil/Mayor discusses it openly and not behind closed doors. In fact, it's important to notethat doing so behind closed doors may violate Michigan's Open Meetings Act. I will alwaysspeak my mind when it comes to representing Ward 4 constituents, even if it ruffles the feathersof the Council or Mayor. Citizens deserve transparency with their elected officials, and I plan tobring that to the residents of Ward 4 and Lansing as a whole. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lansing City Council At-Large Candidate: Tirstan Walters
Here are the responses from Lansing At-Large Candidate 2025 Tirstan Walters to the 6 News Pre-Primary Candidate Questionnaire. Website- Facebook- Instagram- Threads- BlueSky- I am proud to serve as an At-Large member of the Lansing Park Board, Vice-Chair and First Ward Representative of the Lansing Neighborhood Advisory Board, and as Vice-Chair of the Ingham County Equal Opportunity Committee. I have had the honor of bridging the gap between these departments and the residents that they serve and I am running for Lansing City Council At-Large to expand my advocacy to citywide issues that matter most to our residents. I graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Geography and Economic Geography and I currently work for the State of Michigan as a grant coordinator focusing on gun violence intervention and community policing grants. I previously served as the Ingham County Democratic Party Elections Committee Chairperson in 2024 and have been an Ingham County Democratic Precinct Delegate since 2022. I am focused on improving our city infrastructure to better fund our roads and sidewalks, ensuring that we have safe and supported neighborhoods, bolstering our parks system to encourage and increase recreation and green space for our residents, supporting our small businesses, increasing opportunities for our youth through increased collaboration between the City of Lansing and the Lansing School District, and increasing housing developments to ensure adequate and affordable options for all residents. My accomplishments include assisting our neighborhoods and civic organizations through the neighborhood grant programs and with accessing neighborhood resources, creating Capital Improvement Project (CIP) recommendations and overseeing the creation and funding of the Park Board Grant Match Program, and working to broaden the contractor pool of Ingham County to make it more representative of the population. The role of City Council is to act as the legislative branch of the City of Lansing. The duties of the council are to approve the yearly budget, to pass city ordinances, to advocate for constituent issues, to attend council, committee, and external board meetings, oversee the approval of board and commission appointments, and to work with the administration on policy and budget amendments throughout the year. The role of a City Council member also includes serving in an advocacy role for residents to our county, state, and federal representatives regarding local priorities. As a City Council member I will support additional housing projects, funding additional code enforcement officers to ensure our current housing stock is kept up to date and our red and pink tagged properties are brought up to code, supporting our new form-based housing code to increase housing densification, and working with the Economic Development and Planning Department to make our permitting and inspection processes more efficient for new and existing housing projects. As a City Council member, any disagreements would be addressed on a case-by-case basis. I would work toward expressing my perspective in various ways depending on the circumstance, whether that be discussing those differences during council meetings, constituent meetings, on social media, or in private conversations. I have been able to work effectively with both the current administration and with many current council members on issues involving parks and neighborhoods and I feel that these relationships will allow for meaningful and respectful conversations on issues that there may be disagreement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ingham County Democrat, gun violence victim remembered at capitol memorial
LANSING — Hundreds gathered on the capitol lawn on Saturday, June 14, and heard about the impact Ted Lawson had on the Lansing area. Lawson, 63, was well-known in political circles and had worked on many election campaigns for Democrats before he was shot and killed in on Oct. 8, 2023, while campaigning for a Lansing City Council candidate. Lawson's family and friends held a memorial on the capitol steps, which kicked off what was expected to be a day with more speeches and plenty of protest signs. Following the Lawson memorial, a No Kings rally, one of more than a thousand planned across the country, began to protest President Donald Trump's policies and the recent military response to ICE protests in Los Angeles, California. More: Tireless advocate for voting rights killed while out canvassing for Lansing candidate State Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, told the crowd that she woke up Saturday morning thinking about her friend Ted Lawson, once a member of Ingham County's Board of Canvassers and secretary for the Ingham County Democratic Party, "If you knew Ted, if you happened to share space with this amazing activist and volunteer and mentor, you know that Ted would have been here with us today," she said. "He would have been organizing. He would have been passing out water, making sure that chairs were here. "He would have made sure that he greeted you with a smile and a directive and the next step after the gathering here today." Other speakers included Brian Jackson, chair of the Ingham County Democratic Party, Barb Byrum, the Ingham County clerk who is running for Michigan Secretary of State, and representatives from voting rights and gun violence awareness organizations. Katie See, of the Michigan chapter of Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action, pointed out to the crowd that June is gun violence awareness month. "Please do whatever you can in the wake of this gathering," she said. "Find a way to join in our efforts to advocate, to educate, to support survivors, to press for reform of the gun industry and to create the peaceful democracy that Ted Lawson embodied." Lawson was a Cub Scout in elementary school and worked for a state congressional candidate while in high school, his family has said. Lawson served in the Marine Corps and worked for the Meijer store chain for decades, becoming active in his union and Democratic Party politics. Police and prosecutors have said his shooting death was a robbery gone wrong and wasn't connected to Lawson's political activities or beliefs. Days after his death, Lamar Kemp, who was 15 at the time, was arraigned on murder and weapons charges. He later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and in 2024 was sentenced to 35 to 70 years in prison. Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane decided to charge Kemp as an adult, citing the nature of the offense and Kemp's prior record in the juvenile system. Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at mjmencarini@ This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Ted Lawson, Ingham County Democratic activist, honored with captiol memorial
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Lansing locals, leaders call for action on street racing
LANSING, (Mich.) WLNS — Lansing locals say that street racing is a recurring issue in the city, and something should be done about it. City officials agree. Lansing City Council President Ryan Kost tells 6 News it's been going on for quite a while. 12 of 13 injured in street racing crash released from hospital 'It has been a problem even before I was on City Council,' says Kost. 'These long straight big roads, five-lane roads like MLK out here, S Cedar Street, Saginaw, you hear it all night long.' The city leader says he is frustrated with what he sees as a continued problem of reckless driving in the city. Kost thinks the design of certain roads lends itself to speeding. 'And it points out a big fault in how we have our city designed, these big straight roads like this going 45, it was a problem on my way here from City Hall, I was getting blown by by vehicles,' he said. Street racing crash injured 13 people, including child, Lansing police say However, solving the issue of reckless driving is easier said than done. A simple speed limit doesn't guarantee people will drive cautiously. That's why Kost would like to see other measures taken. 'Throwing out ideas like Detroit used, which is a helicopter in the sky, so instead of having a high-speed chase through the city, you're following the car that is being pursued by the helicopter to address it,' said Kost. 'Things that have been around forever, like road diets.' A road diet happens when a road is intentionally narrowed, limiting lanes, but also limiting open road, which can be used to speed. 'There will be serious consequences': Lansing mayor says about street racing crash Locals agree, like Stan Shuck, who said he hears reckless driving on regular basis—and not just by cars. 'It's like they've got a track around the town, especially at night with the motorcycles, they zoom by there, they go down to the highway,' said Shuck. 'You can literally hear them go all the way around the city on the highway, they get back off on 496 and make the loop again,' said Shuck. 'I am still so angry': Mayor Schor says in response to street racing crash Kost also listed more stop lights and traffic circles as other methods of slowing people down. 6 News expects to hear from the city's police chief and mayor on this topic tomorrow morning. We will keep you updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
