Politics, labor and a golf course

Glenn Freeman III believes he’s part of the reasonLansing residents didn’t get to vote on selling 12.68 acres of the RedCedar Golf Course in the Aug. 2 primary election and instead will do soon Nov. 8 in the General Election.

Freeman, president of the Greater Lansing Labor Council,said there were too many questions between May 9 and May 23, the timefrom when Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero unveiled the proposal and the CityCouncil first rejected the idea. 

Freeman said in those two weeks he approached Councilmembers Carol Wood and Brian Jeffries to voice his concerns: Who werethe city’s prospects for buying the land? What’s the plan for the land?And will the city publicly take bids from developers?

“Brian and Carol both dug into what they could, and theywere given the same answers we were,” Freeman said. “They were notreally acceptable answers. … I’m certain the questions that werecreated is why it did not hit the primary (election).”

Jeffries and Wood, along with Councilman Derrick Quinney,were the three who blocked the proposal — which asks the public toapprove allowing the city sell parkland for unspecified development —from getting on Aug. 2 primary ballot. 1st Ward Councilman Eric Hewitt,who is not seeking reelection, said he too would have voted no, but hewas absent. Five out of eight votes were needed to place the measure onthe ballot.

However, after talking with InghamCounty Drain Commissioner Pat Lindemann about his plans to clean up theMontgomery Drain and Red Cedar River with a largely organized laborforce, Freeman came around: The Greater Lansing Labor Council willdistribute campaign literature to mailboxes near you before the Nov. 8election, encouraging support for letting the city try and sell aportion of the old golf course.

Freeman said he didn’t have much betteranswers from the city on specific plans for the 12-plus acres thatwould be offered to developers if voters approve, but “I do have a realgood understanding of what the drain commissioner is going to do."

The Labor Council — which is made up of more than 40local unions and claims on its website to be the “union of all theunions” — is endorsing Wood and Quinney in the At-Large Council racesNov. 8, as well as Jason Wilkes in the 3rd Ward and Jody Washington inthe 1st Ward. 

But while the Labor Council and at least two other localunions are supporting potential redevelopment on the former golfcourse, only one of those endorsees is: Quinney,  directorof health and safety for the Michigan AFL-CIO. Washington is undecidedif she wants the area developed. Wood and Wilkes said they’re againstselling it (although the second time around Wood supported lettingvoters decide). And the events leading up to the City Council firstrejecting the proposed sale and then approving it leaves one wonderinghow much influence local unions have on City Council members and policythat gets churned out.

Unions want it

The ballot proposal asks Lansing residents permission tosell the 12.68 acres of parkland (as required by the City Charter) onMichigan Avenue across from the Frandor shopping area for redevelopmentpurposes. If voters approve the sale of the property, which has beenappraised at $5 million, the Lansing Economic Development Corp. willlaunch a potentially global Request for Proposals from interesteddevelopers. If the city finds an interesting deal, the City Councilwould need to give final approval before the land is actually sold. Asfor the other 48.32 acres of the former golf course, Lindemann plans torepurpose the land to act as a buffer and natural filter for stormwater runoff to pass through before it reaches the nearby polluted RedCedar River. While filtration will happen below ground, a multi-userecreation area will occupy the surface.

Lindemann has spoken publicly aboutconsistently using organized labor for his construction projects andhow the Red Cedar proposal would be no different. His plan, which isrequired under the federal Clean Water Act, will happen regardless ofwhether voters approve the ballot proposal. However, city officialshave said some revenue from the sale could help pay for Lindemann’swork. Lindemann has said it would be an “absolute shame” if his projectdid not coincide with development along Michigan Avenue.

Along with the Labor Council, the localInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Teamsterssupport the proposal. A representative from the Michigan Building andConstruction Trades Council, which has offices in Lansing and Detroit,could not be reached for comment. Dean Poggiali of the United AutoWorkers Local 724, said the UAW hasn’t “come out with a positionformally.”

Jim Dravenstatt-Moceri, assistant business manager forIBEW Local 352, said that chapter takes the same positions as theGreater Lansing Labor Council on supporting the Red Cedar andcandidates Wood, Quinney, Washington and Wilkes. Dravenstatt-Mocerialso serves as first vice president on the Labor Council’s board. Thosetwo groups also are supporting approval of a millage increase forpolice, fire and road services, which will be on the ballot alongsidethe Red Cedar proposal.

“Our goal is to focus on absentee voters,” he said.“That’s going to be the real turning point. We’re getting behind the 8ball.”

Lynne Meade, vice president and business agent for theTeamsters and Chauffeurs Local 580, said any work done on the Red Cedarproperty will help its current status.

“If there’s anything being done to thepark, it could only be an improvement,” Meade said of the golf course,which was closed in 2007 by the Bernero administration for budgetaryreasons. 

Labor groups and their four candidates also shareconcerns about what kind of labor will build any new structures? Willit be organized or non-union workers? 

“If they do develop it, I would encourage them to useunion labor to do so,” Meade said. “The unions can ask that they useunion labor for development, but as far as having influence over it, Idon’t know. Whether there’s a (Project Labor Agreement) on it or not,you can still encourage that they have safe union labor doing the work.”

Labor’s candidates differ on issue

Freeman, of the Labor Council, said the Red Cedarproposal never came up while screening Washington and Wilkes forendorsements. “Those were not questions we asked of those candidates,”he said.

Wilkes, who is challenging incumbentA’Lynne Robinson in the 3rd Ward, said he’s “in support of it being onthe ballot” because “how we vote is how we move forward with it,” buthe “won’t be voting for it” on Nov. 8.

“There’s too many unanswered questions as it stands,” hesaid, wondering if any developers are interested in it already or ifthere is demand for development there. He also wants any potential jobsto be local: “Lansing shouldn’t boost other people’s economy by doingLansing work.” He said he doesn’t “see a problem” with union concernsin the past with not using local workers without a prevailing wage.

Incumbent A’Lynne Robinson, Wilkes’ opponent, supportsthe proposal: “This is the first of many steps before anything isfinalized for what will happen with that property. This is a vote forlooking at selling those 12 acres, it’s not a vote for a specificdevelopment.”

Wood voted yes to put the question on the ballot but, like Wilkes, will not be voting for it Nov. 8.

“I have faith in the public and faith in citizens whohave passed parks millages,” she said during an Aug. 22 City Councilmeeting. “When I personally cast my vote, I will not be supporting (theproposal) in the ballot box.” On Monday, Wood confirmed her position:“It doesn’t have to do with unions. My philosophy is about thepreservation of green spaces.” 

Wood believes the administration plannedall along to let Red Cedar — and more than a dozen other parks in thecity — deteriorate to a point of irreparability. “Ask yourself: Ifpeople were utilizing that park (Red Cedar) would we be having thisdiscussion? No.”

Rory Neuner and Thomas Stewart, who wereboth endorsed by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, haveexpressed support for the project.

Washington believes some Council members are too eager toget behind the administration’s proposals. She echoes the concerns ofHewitt, whom she is seeking to replace, that the administration istouting a plan that will never come to fruition.

“I have seen many times when people just rubberstamp something that looks exciting. That’s just frightening to me,” she said. 

Washington admits that her position may sound a littleconfusing: She said if she knew she’d be elected Nov. 8, she’d vote yesfor Red Cedar on Nov. 8. If she knew she’d lose to her opponent LynneMartinez, Washington said she’d vote no. 

“It would concern me to give Council and administrationpermission to sell off 12 acres and not have people in place that wouldstay on top of it. If I had more confidence in the Council andadministration, I would absolutely, 100 percent vote yes for it,”Washington said. “If I were on Council, I would vote yes but I don’tknow that I will be.”

Until the election, Washington will take an “undecided”path. “I really am asking people at doors where they stand on this. AsI finish up my canvassing, I’ll have a pretty clear idea which way the(1st) ward is going. Which way the ward goes I will go.”

Washington’s opponent, Lynne Martinez, fully supports the proposal to grant the city permission to sell of 12 acres of parkland.

“Depending on what the proposal is (thatcomes forward if voters approve the sale), City Council could approveor disapprove, so (asking to sell) is just the first step in adevelopment proposal,” Martinez, a former state representative, said.“This is an important first step that the city has approved that wecould sell this land — not that we will, but that we could. … I have noidea at this point what developers would propose so I’ll just leave itup to them to see what they give us.”

Government making jobs? ‘Absurd’

It appears the influence of organized labor can only goso far, both on the campaign trail and when it comes to governments’mandating an organized work force. 

And remembering what happened in theaftermath of the City Council’s attempting to block brownfield taxincentives for developer Pat Gillespie’s downtown Market Place project,the Council can’t legally reject tax incentives based on whetherProject Labor Agreements are in place. Ingham County Circuit JudgeRosemarie Aquilina overturned a City Council decision last fall thatsought to block incentives for Gillespie because he didn’t have a PLAin place. Quinney, Wood, Jeffries and Hewitt voted against theincentives.

In July, Gov. Rick Snyder made it official. He signedinto law Public Act 98, which prohibits requiring labor agreements for“governmental construction contracts, grants, tax abatements, and taxcredits.” The act is called the “Fair and Open Competition inGovernmental Construction Act” and was sponsored by 21 Republicans andno Democrats. However, state union groups are challenging theconstitutionality of the law in federal district court.

City Attorney Brig Smith called the new law a “gamechanger” because it “prohibits local governments” from mandating PLAson projects. “It was a game-changer for everyone in the state,” he said.

Mayor Virg Bernero has called any concerns about whattype of developer will come in — and subsequently any jobs that couldresult in the project — “putting the cart before the horse.”

Randy Hannan, Bernero’s deputy chief ofchief, said Monday that the city’s RFP, if approved by voters, willlikely ask for developers’ intentions regarding labor, wages andworking conditions. “When we get them we can talk about those sorts ofthings,” Hannan said. “The notion that a project has to be all ornothing (organized or non-union labor) just doesn’t work in thiseconomy.” 

Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing,who endorsed Martinez in the 1st Ward, Robinson in the 3rd and Quinneyand Rory Neuner in the At-Large races, said the local option to controlwhere jobs come from has been taken away by the state. 

Schertzing said organized labor’s role in elections “hassome influence, but there are an awful lot of voters out there thatthey don’t have a direct connection to.”

Ultimately, he said, the role of government isn’t to dictate where and how many jobs pop up.

“Government, in our capitalist system, will always be theweak player. The market will determine what happens. The notion thatLansing has a crystal ball of what’s going to happen at Red Cedar isabsurd.”

While only one of the four Council candidates endorsed bythe Labor Council is on the same page as unions when it comes todealing with Red Cedar Golf Course, the property still looks the sameto Freeman, the Greater Lansing Labor Council’s volunteer president.

“I drive by it everyday when I drive to the office. We need to do something with it — it looks pretty tacky.”

(Nyssa Rabinowitz contributed reporting to this story.)