Of 13 people surveyed on the street last week, six support the proposed 4-mill property tax increase solely or along with some cuts to services, five wanted to see cuts only and two are still on the fence. Two weeks ago, City Pulse interviewed 18 residents from various wards and demographics. Eleven supported a combination of tax increases and cuts to services; five wanted services cut with no increases; and two supported only tax increases. Not all interviews could fit due to space constraints.
— Interviews and photos by Yang Zhang, Alyssa Gienapp and Fiona Guo
Jerome Abood
Age: Declined to give
Occupation: Owner of The Wild Beaver Saloon, 205 S. Washington Sq., Lansing
Home address: Outside the city
Education: College degree
“None of us [business owners] are anxious to see a tax increase,” Abood said. He believes that the increase won’t make or break a business, though it would beneficial to know exactly what the money will be used for.
Richard Pesino
Age: 39
Occupation: Owner of Ernestos Hideaway, 109 S. Washington Sq., Lansing
Home address: 120 E. St. Joseph St. — 4th Ward
Education: High school diploma
“I am not opposed to taxes, but I haven’t looked into [the proposed] tax enough to say whether I favor it or not. I think a combination [of a tax increase and service cuts] would be better,” he said.
Gwen Jackson
Age: 56
Occupation: Facilities manager
Home address: 4th Ward
Income: $75,000- $100,000
Education: Associate’s degree
Jackson favors the 4-mill increase to protect important services.
Fred Marshall
Age: 41
Occupation: Service technician
Home Address: Churchill Downs Neighborhood — 3rd Ward
Income: $25,000- $50,000
Education: College degree
Marshall supports cuts to public services or mental health. Property taxes are high enough, Marshall said, and the city doesn’t need to place a heavier burden on those who lost their jobs.
Andrew Shipman
Age: 30
Home address: 2918 Timber Drive — 4th Ward
Income: $25,000- $50,000
Occupation: Meijer employee
Education: High school diploma
Shipman favors cuts to services over a property tax increase, but couldn’t specify which services should be cut. He said if he has to pick one, he would like to see cuts to public services.
Joe Fawaz
Age: Declined to give
Home address: 3215 Cambridge Road — 4th Ward
Income: $20,000
Education: College degree
Occupation: Salesman at Northern Home Improvement
“I Support all cuts. There shouldn’t be any tax increase —the government spends too much and most money is wastefully spent.”
James Howlett
Age: Declined to give
Home address: Unavailable
Income: $40,000
Education: High school diploma
Occupation: Retired.
“I favor cuts. People are already hurting now because of the economy, they can’t really afford tax increases,” Howlett said.
Rogelio Tello
Age: 35
Home address: 3rd Ward
Income: $25,000- $50,000
Education: High school diploma
Occupation: Unavailable
Tello supports a combination of tax increases and cuts.
Support City Pulse - Donate Today!
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here