Replacing De Leon

De Leon is leaving Sept. 6. Her term expires at the end of 2014. The deadline to apply for the position is 5p.m. Friday.

The applicants as of Tuesday are Lansing residents Bryan Beverly and Bryan Crenshaw.

Beverly, 34, who grew up in Lansing, is a doctoral student at Michigan State University studying educational policy. He’s a Sexton High School graduate seeking his first public office. If selected, he plans to campaign to keep the 4th District seat in 2014. He serves on the Lansing Housing Commission board.

Crenshaw, 39, is director of the Eaton Rapids Senior Center, a nonprofit charitable organization serving seniors. Crenshaw, also a Sexton grad, was appointed to the Lansing School Board in 1999, but he decided not to run to keep the seat. His grandmother, Maria Velasquez, served the same Commission district in the early 1980s he’s seeking. Crenshaw said he’s “been around politics my whole life.” He was also an appointment specialist in the Granholm administration and a legislative liaison for the state Department of Corrections.

De Leon is leaving to serve as vice chairwoman of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, which requires residency in the tribe’s jurisdiction in northern Michigan. De Leon is a Democratic board member, having been elected seven times since 2000.

The 4th District in Ingham County represents northwest Lansing. The boundaries are roughly Waverly Road to the west; Sheridan Road to the north; an area just east of High Street to the east; and a southern portion that ends at East Oakland Avenue and West Willow Street and includes downtown and Old Town.

Chairwoman Deb Nolan said the board’s Democratic Caucus plans to select a candidate on Aug. 27, which is tantamount to electing its choice since the board is dominated by Dems. The commission will vote the same evening.

Registered voters who live in the 4th District can call the commission office at 676-7200 for an application form or apply online at ingham.org under News and Announcements.