In 1999, a moderate Republican (like a real moderate) named Patricia “Pan” Godchaux from Oakland County first proposed a bill in Michigan to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Leading a city as its mayor isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes courage, resolve and a knack for bringing people together around a shared vision for the community’s future. Sadly, our current mayor doesn’t appear to embody any of these qualities. Virtually invisible during much of the pandemic, Mayor Andy Schor’s first term has been marked by a troubled, tone deaf relationship with Lansing’s Black community and an egregious lack of honesty and transparency that breeds deep distrust of City Hall. That’s why we think it’s time for a change.
The candidates’ ability to repair longstanding racial inequities, reform public safety and help curb the city’s skyrocketing levels of gun violence are undoubtedly key issues in this year’s election cycle. We asked the candidates directly: How do you plan to use your position, if elected, to drive forward some meaningful social equity and/or public safety reforms in Lansing?
Michigan Democrats are beaming that Republicans are not concocting the new legislative and congressional lines this year.
Having apparently learned nothing from the last election, Republicans in the Michigan Legislature continue to push the false Trumpian narrative that the election was stolen amid widespread voter fraud. To “fix” this imaginary problem, they’ve introduced a ridiculous package of 39 bills that are explicitly designed to frustrate the ability of voters to exercise their electoral franchise. One of the bills would have required making a copy of your photo ID and sending it in with your absentee ballot. That bit of nonsense has since been watered down, but the intent is clear: disenfranchising as many voters as possible, especially if they vote by absentee ballot and are from predominantly Democratic areas with a high proportion of minority voters. Should lawmakers get enough votes to send these malformed voter suppression bills to the governor, we expect she will veto them without hesitation.
Two more murders. Two more Lansing teenagers dead, bringing the city’s 2021 death toll by homicide to 15. And it’s only June. At this rate, Lansing is on track to easily outstrip last year’s record of 22 homicides — the most murders in a single year in decades. With the hottest days of summer just ahead, we’re bracing for even more senseless violence while community leaders scramble for answers.
Five mayoral candidates facing off in the August primary election will battle it out on stage this month at a live, 60-minute televised debate hosted by FOX 47 News and City Pulse at 7 p.m June 24.
Back in 2002, the Michigan Republican Party had a nifty (albeit unsuccessful) slogan for the three major Democratic gubernatorial candidates:
Serving as Lansing’s mayor has been an honor. We have grown the city for everyone and have tackled crises head-on. I’m proud of the achievements we’ve made and look forward to another four years of growing Lansing!
In Washington and in Lansing, it remains to be seen if the police reform proposals will survive a process where partisanship is oftentimes more important than protecting the interests and well-being of the American people.
