East Lansing City Council candidates share views

The East Lansing City Council has five members who serve four-year overlapping terms. Six candidates, none of them incumbents, are vying for two seats in the Nov. 4 General Election. City Council asked the candidates to submit 500-word statements of their views on what they see as the most important issues. All but one candidate, Chuck Grigsby, responded.

 

Kathleen Edsall, 65,
veterinarian and business owner

As an East Lansing Board of Education trustee for almost 11 years, I deeply understand local governance, finance and policy. During my tenure, the board and community passed two bonds which remodeled/rebuilt our six elementary schools and will create a secure entrance to the high school and improve accessibility there and the middle school. As treasurer for nine years with an MBA in accounting, I understand fund balance accounting and will quickly assimilate municipal accounting. As vice chair to the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission, I have dedicated time to learning East Lansing’s codes, ordinances and police policy. Since earning my doctorate in veterinary medicine and my MBA from MSU, I am now a 47-year resident of the area where my wife and I run our business and continue to raise our children. I have strong connections and deep attachments to this community.

I am running for the City Council to help address our challenges in ways that avoid harming historically marginalized communities. I am also running to celebrate that which is great about our city.

Our challenges include addressing budgetary shortfalls without adding to the tax burden of East Lansing residents; developing a vibrant downtown for families and children while allowing students to participate in college life without one overshadowing or being sacrificed for the other; collaborating to develop after-school programming that meets the needs of middle/high school children that is more than the public library; and increasing housing stock to address shortfalls and expand our tax base.

Our opportunities lie in our strengths. We should elevate our trail system and parks to award-winning levels and uplift the arts. Our new elementary buildings were saved and remodeled or rebuilt to support walkable neighborhoods, which create strong community pride and engagement and show the commitment of our city employees who maintain and thus strengthen them.

Specifically, I believe we can address the needs of those who have noise and traffic concerns in their neighborhoods without harming those with limited resources and defective car exhausts.

I believe we can have a safe and vibrant downtown without criminalizing Blackness or homelessness. 

I believe we can remain a sanctuary city and not allow ICE to have access to our schools, jails and courts.

I believe we can balance our budget without further taxing our community or losing valuable quality of life programming like parks and recreation.

I believe that the city, the school district and the library can work together with parents to support children after school.

For many of us, what is going on nationally is distressing and horrifying and we feel helpless. I am running because infiltrating local councils and school boards with white Christian Nationalists in progressive communities is a national strategy, and I am working and have worked to prevent that from happening.

I believe we can live up to our ideals, and I want to help lead the way.

 

Adam DeLay, 37,
specialist, Michigan Health and Human
Services Department

I’ve been in the Lansing area for nearly 20 years. I came here to attend MSU, and on my very first night on campus, I met a girl. That girl is now my wife, and our family lives in East Lansing’s Northern Meadows neighborhood.

At MSU, I earned degrees in social relations and policy and journalism. Since that time, I’ve dedicated my life to public service. I spent four years working in the state Senate, four years working for Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a year and a half for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and for the last five years with the Health and Human Services Depaetment. I serve on East Lansing’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission. I previously served on the East Lansing Community Development Advisory Committee and the Ingham County Board of Canvassers.

I am running because East Lansing is at a crossroads. News of illegal taxes, financial mismanagement, a proposed property tax increase, dangerous traffic conditions in our neighborhoods and excessive noise has eroded public trust in our city government. We need a City Council that listens to the voices and needs of residents.

 East Lansing is facing a budget crisis. While the city has taken some steps to address its deficit, it remains a major issue. We should be conducting a detailed review of the city’s budget and contracted services,  and waiting on the recommendations of a financial health review team. Instead, the City Council is asking voters for a property tax increase. This ballot proposal is not about raising revenue for our parks but rather a Council attempt to go back on the city’s word that it would not raise property taxes so long as the income tax is in place. If East Lansing needs to make cuts and raise revenue, it needs to lead from the top. That is why I am proposing a four-year pay freeze for Council members and top city staff.

Residents have been asking Council for years to improve traffic conditions in our neighborhoods and have sent the city petitions with detailed requests of what they want to see happen. Instead of listening to residents, the city either ignores them or tells them the things they want, such as stop signs, will not work. It is time to listen to our residents and tackle this issue head on.

We must also focus on increasing housing options for young adults who want to make a living in East Lansing but cannot afford to rent and may also not be at the point where they are ready (or able) to buy a house. We need to improve housing options for low- to middle-income people and families who want to be a part of our community but unfortunately are financially unable to do so.

I believe my 15 years of public service experience make me well suited to meet our community’s challenges, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve.

 

Josh Ramirez-Roberts, 24,
state of Michigan Office of Retirement Services employee

I’m a lifelong East Lansing resident running for City Council to bring a fresh voice and needed solutions to the serious issues facing our community. I serve on boards and commissions across the Lansing area, including the Fenner Nature Center doard of directors and East Lansing Parks Commission. I served on the Comprehensive Plan Update team as well as the Bailey Community Association and the committee tasked with working to bring back the folk festival.

From outstanding pension obligations to massive legal settlements and the rising costs of inflation, the city is getting hit from all sides. Rather than looking to once again raise costs on residents, we should be looking internally to make necessary adjustments. This means working with department heads to find ways to reduce costs while minimizing potential impacts on services and listening to the community on the changes they want to see. We’ve begun recruiting a financial health team that will bring recommendations on how to heal our budget, and the key is that when they give us their recommendations, we need to take them to heart and follow through. But these cost-cutting measures cannot continue forever. To truly solve our budget crisis, we need to work toward growing our tax base through smart development that maintains East Lansing’s sense of place while also bringing needed improvements to the community. However, the question of housing students cannot be placed on our shoulders alone. We need to be working with MSU to craft a joint long-term plan to address student housing so that we can tackle this issue together and work to keep students close to campus and reduce stress on our neighborhoods.

Since coming out of COVID, we have seen sharp increases in reckless driving and speeding vehicles that put our children, cyclists and motorists in danger. Citizens have been voicing these concerns to the city but have been running into repeated obstacles. We need to take a holistic look at how we can better design our roadways to make reckless driving less feasible and to better protect pedestrians and cyclists through improved sidewalks and bike lanes. However, no matter how well you design a road, some people are just going to be jerks. When someone is speeding or weaving in and out of traffic on a neighborhood street, we need to issue tickets and hold these people accountable. The same can be said for the modified car exhausts that blast across town throughout the night, keeping residents awake.

We can fix these issues, but we have to be out there listening to the community and putting in the effort that residents deserve.

 

Liam Richichi, 22,
constituent services director for state Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor

I’m running for East Lansing City Council because I believe our city needs fresh energy, leadership and a commitment to ensuring that East Lansing works for everyone, from lifelong residents to young professionals, seniors, students and families alike.

I graduated from Michigan State University, where I studied political theory at James Madison College and became deeply engaged in community and campus life. I’ve organized with local leaders and served as president of the MSU College Democrats, which under my leadership grew to become the nation’s largest chapter of college Democrats. Through state legislative work, I’ve seen how effective, values-driven local leadership can shape stronger, more equitable communities. I’m ready to bring that same focus and drive to East Lansing’s City Council.

I’ve knocked on thousands of doors across the city, and I’ve heard a consistent message: East Lansing is a city with so much potential, but we need a Council that listens, leads and responds. Too often, residents feel left out of major decisions, whether it’s around housing, neighborhood safety or city finances. I’m running because I believe we need a government that is more transparent, more accessible and more accountable.

I’m running for three big reasons.

First, rebuilding trust in local government. That means returning to an energetic, responsive City Council that actively listens to the community, not just expensive consultants who blow holes in the side of our budget.

Second, fixing our budget. That does NOT mean continuing to raise taxes on hard-working families and seniors who are feeling the crunch from the cost-of-living crisis. It means finding ways to increase revenues in our city without asking folks for more. It means building housing and commercial opportunities downtown and along transit corridors, expanding our tax base and easing the burden on individual taxpayers.

 This also addresses a third issue: housing. Many young families cannot afford to live here. They move to the east side of Lansing and patronize Lansing businesses instead of those in East Lansing. According to a 2025 housing study, and as a recent MSU grad, I can tell you there is a shortage in housing. Want to know an easy solution to this? Build smart, sustainable housing options and bring young folks out of single-family homes that are being used as rentals. Let’s work together to remodel these homes and turn them back into single-family housing while expanding our tax base. All of this means more money in your pocket, more diversity in our community and better investments in public safety and services.

I’m proud to be endorsed by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC, the Mid-Michigan Realtors Association and others who see in me a candidate who can bridge generational and neighborhood divides. I believe East Lansing needs leadership that reflects everyone — not just one group or another. I’m young, yes, but I bring energy, real policy experience, and a commitment to listen and lead with integrity.

If elected, I’ll hold regular coffee hours, remain accessible to constituents and fight for a more livable, inclusive and vibrant East Lansing. I hope to earn your support — and your vote.

 

Steve Whelan, 61, retired 
East Lansing police officer

I am running for City Council for the City of East Lansing because I love this town. My wife and I have lived and engaged with our community for 29 years, raising three great adults, all of whom graduated from East Lansing High School. They are now raising our seven grandchildren here.

I have just completed 25 years as an East Lansing police officer. I know this city extremely well. Having been a school resource officer for our schools and neighborhood liaison advocate has been rewarding. East Lansing is a great place to live and work.

In my life and career,  I have made it my priority to listen, assess the situation and then take action to bring about solutions. We have challenging days ahead. But with compassionate and positive solutions our city will thrive.

I see that working collaboratively with stakeholders is critical. I will have goals to solve problems and opportunities for the greater good of our community and will strive to work with the city manager efficiently and effectively. I will support our city staff, who are experts at running a city. We also need outreach to our neighboring city and townships, MSU and the East Lansing Public Schools.

My top priorities:

PUBLIC SAFETY

I will take creative action to keep downtown safe at all times day or night. We also need to work toward solutions to the issues of traditionally disruptive crowds downtown at bar close.

I will work to eliminate the ordinance that limits the ELPD from enforcing loud vehicles. The noise is a nuisance and causes a distraction and safety concern for other drivers. Also, it is important to increase awareness and enforcement of traffic safety, especially in school zones.

There is a need to address the issues of homelessness. This will take a multipronged approach to address the issues this community faces, while keeping the city safe for residents and visitors.

MANAGED GROWTH

A safe and thriving downtown can come through managed growth. There is a housing shortage for students desiring to live near campus.  I welcome downtown development that is mutually advantageous to satisfy the demand while providing an increased tax base.

BALANCED BUDGET

We need to make sure resident investments in income and property tax are used to the fullest. Keeping the issues that matter most to our residents is a high priority with a balanced budget. This needs to include a clean and strong infrastructure through public works. We also need to maintain an experienced, equipped and dedicated Fire and Police departments keeping us safe at all times of day and night.

Because I have knowledge of the city with a proven track record, I also bring reliability, reasonableness and readiness to serve with determination during this vital time in our city’s history.