Did Bernero’s departure set course for Schor’s second term?

If cash drives local politics in Lansing, then Mayor Andy Schor is likely feeling fairly comfortable as he stares down a six-way primary race for a second-term with nearly $200,000 in the bank, having outraised (and outspent) all of his challengers combined by a margin of about 100 to 1.

But other factors, of course, are at play. Racial tensions are still smoldering amid a desire for police reforms. More women are speaking out against a toxic political culture of sexual harassment. And a pandemic has lingered on for more than a year in Lansing and beyond. 

By Tuesday’s filing deadline, five challengers have emerged against Schor, including Council members Patricia Spitzley and Kathie Dunbar, as well as three relatively unknown candidates: Farhan Sheikh-Omar, Melissa Huber and Larry Hutchinson Jr. The Primary Election on Aug. 3 will whittle that field down to two candidates who will face off in the General Election on Nov. 2.

The latest finance reports show Schor had about $180,000 left in his campaign account last month. At the same time, Spitzley had about $1,200; Dunbar and the others had nothing.

And while Schor has faced no shortage of public criticism (and lawsuits) over alleged racial discrimination, his campaign now has the potential to be the loudest in the city after former three-term Mayor Virg Bernero — and his $106,000 — dropped out of the race on Sunday.

Only time will tell whether a war chest of political cash and recent heavyweight endorsements from local labor unions and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will pan out for Schor at the polls or whether his campaign will sink amid allegations of racism and a recent reckoning of empowered women.

Spotlight on Schor

Bernero, 57, fled the mayoral race Sunday amid several sexual harassment allegations that were published last month by City Pulse and this week by MLive. One woman said Bernero groped her in downtown Lansing in 2010. Another said Bernero made unwanted sexual phone calls to her in 2004. Two former Bernero campaign staffers also alleged that he prepositioned them for a threesome, asked them to expose their breasts and also discussed his foot fetish.

“My wife and family have forgiven me for the mistakes of the past, but politics is less forgiving,” Bernero posted in a statement to Facebook on Sunday evening. “With gratitude and love as my compass and with unbound confidence in Lansing’s future, I end my quest for mayor.”

And with that, Schor, 46, lost what many local insiders had viewed as his only viable challenger — and certainly the only one with money approaching the incumbent’s.

But can Schor’s campaign survive amid a backdrop of a worsening pandemic, lingering financial uncertainties and several allegations of racial discrimination? And with Lansing losing patience for sexual harassment in politics, will two strong women pose unexpected obstacles for Schor?

That depends on whom you ask. 

Several people offered their speculation on this year’s mayoral election, most under the condition of anonymity. Many viewed Bernero as Schor’s most viable contender, suggesting his departure from the race may have set the mayor on a smooth course toward his reelection.

Most of them also identified racial inequities and public safety reform as the top issues facing the city. And despite recent missteps with segments of the Black community in Lansing, many have suggested that Schor hasn’t done any irreparable damage to jeopardize his reelection.

“It was always going to be a two-way dance with Schor and Bernero,” said one local political consultant. “Spitzley is not and never has been a real contender. This may be a vanity race, maybe to build up for something else. Everyone else is just too fucking smart to get involved.”

Added another high-powered political insider: “This is going to Schor. These racism allegations are really from a very small segment of the population, , for better or worse, it’s a radical segment. The majority of Lansing doesn’t want fewer cops. I think that much is clear. Black Lives Matter doesn’t speak for the majority of Lansing, or even the majority of Black Lansing.”

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder last summer, local residents (and the media) have turned their attention to the systemic overpolicing of Black and brown people in Lansing and across the country. The Lansing Police Department has been no exception to discriminatory trends with Black residents. Schor’s administration has also been hit with multiple discrimination lawsuits.

The mayor’s subsequent response — which has centered heavily on a secretive alliance with few meaningful reforms — has left more to be desired, particularly among groups like the Lansing chapter of Black Lives Matter and the local branch of the NAACP. Schor’s resignation tops the list of BLM’s most vocal demands, alongside police divestment. The NAACP also released a statement today denouncing Schor for his perceived inactions. 

But plans to actually divest cash from the Police Department budget have largely faced resistance. Schor and Spitzley don’t support it. Neither did Bernero. NAACP President Dale Copedge has also recognized that a “significant number” of members opposed divestment.

A trio of lawsuits will determine whether Schor’s administration fostered a more in-depth culture of racial discrimination, but Lansing may not be otherwise convinced of a problem worth solving.

Maxine Hankins-Cain, a longtime leader and prominent educator in Lansing’s African American community, wouldn’t offer her endorsement last week, before Bernero dropped out — she supported Schor four years ago — but spoke out against police divestment.

“I don’t think we need to defund anything,” she said. “We need to look at how we spend that money. We need to reallocate more funding to community policing, more programs focused on what’s happening on the south side of the city. Reducing funding isn’t going to help stop crime.”

Added local civil rights leader Barbara Roberts-Mason: “The Black community — like every other community — is not one voice. It doesn’t need to be one voice. We all agree that racial discrimination is wrong. BLM speaks for itself. NAACP speaks for itself. And I speak for myself when I say that I don’t at all support the divestment or the elimination of our Police Department.”

Schor pledged $300,000 from his latest budget proposal to support a new permanent “Equity Committee” following a yet-to-be-released plan from his Racial Justice and Equity Alliance. That cash is set to be spent on employee training, assessing the racial landscape in Lansing and soliciting more community input as longer-term plans to eliminate inequities continue to unfold. 

The budget also included plans to hire a second social worker to the Police Department and committed $240,000 to the Advance Peace initiative, a program to curb gun violence. Another $135,000 will be allocated to organizations that aim to advance racial justice within the city.

Like Schor’s campaign, the funding is there. Any only time will tell if it produces results.

Challenge from City Hall 

Spitzley and Dunbar know they’re behind on campaign fundraising, but neither is deterred. 

At her sparsely attended offical announcement at Wentworth Park last week, Spitzley suggested that her “grassroots campaign” would attract voters who were both unwilling to endure four more years of Schor and who refused to revisit another term dealing with Lansing’s “Angry Mayor.” 

With Bernero out of the race, she’s relying on frustration with Schor to drive her campaign. Spitzley asked: “Do you want to invest in the future of Lansing or do you want to go back?”

Spitzley, 56, works as a deputy redevelopment manager at Racer Trust, which was created out of the General Motors bankruptcy to clean up and redevelop the automaker’s toxic assets, like the old Fisher Body plant in Lansing. She was elected to her second term in 2019. Her current term expires at the end of 2023. Her successful election would trigger an appointment process.

The election of the two-term City Councilwoman could also make Spitzley both the first woman and the first African American to serve as mayor of Lansing. But without having outlined much of a platform, her greatest strength appears to simply be in a low profile. She’s among the only mayoral candidates who aren’t facing allegations of sexual harassment or racial discrimination.

Her biggest criticism: A lack of name recognition and few political accomplishments to lean on.

“I can point to a track record of accomplishment that I’ve achieved in 16 years on the Council. I don’t believe she can point to anything. I don’t believe she has brought forward any legislation, any projects, policies,” Dunbar told City Pulse this week. “Many people didn’t even know her name or that she was on the Council. Those who did cannot point to anything she has done.”

Dunbar, 52, is the director and founder of the South Lansing Community Development Association. Her fourth term ends this year. And her bid for mayor forced her to forego seeking reelection to the Council. The earliest she could return to the job would be in 2023. 

Dunbar criticized Schor for a lack of meaningful progress in bridging a widening racial divide in Lansing, which she said was only accelerated by tear gas deployed at a local protest in May. She also slammed Spitzley for failing to advance “anything of substance” on the Council.

“I know City Hall inside and out. I know the budget. I know the employees. I know the departments. I’m also simultaneously the director of a nonprofit that works on the ground alongside people across South Lansing to address community needs that arise,” she said.

And while Dunbar’s left-leaning mayoral platform includes defunding police and reinvesting in social services, small business support and more, recent allegations of sexual harassment and racist behavior could drown out Dunbar’s broader vision for the city before it gains steam.

Rina Risper, publisher of the New Citizens’ Press in Lansing, alleged this week that Dunbar once told her that “your little Black newspaper won’t make it.” She also claimed Dunbar casually used the N-word in conversation, once compared her hairstyle to the young Black character Buckwheat from “The Little Rascals” and repeatedly tried to preposition her for a threesome. 

Former Councilwoman Jody Washington also alleged Dunbar “grabbed” her sister from behind — a situation which she labeled as “predatory behavior and sexual harassment” on Facebook.

In an interview with City Pulse on Monday, Dunbar flatly denied both of the claims against her and suggested they were inspired as a political attack. On Tuesday morning, her tune changed.

“I may not remember saying something, or I may remember it differently, but my recollection doesn’t matter. What matters is that 15 years ago, regardless of my intent, my words and actions landed in a way that caused harm,” Dunbar said. “I take responsibility for my words and actions, not just from 15 years ago, but any time before now. In advocacy, we strive to do better than we’ve done, and when we know better, we do better. I’m still striving. I hope we all are.”

Who else is in the race?

Though they may lack name recognition, four other candidates are also running against Schor.

Sheikh-Omar is a 26-year-old Kenyan refugee who lost an election to First Ward Councilman Brandon Betz in 2019. He also lost a bid for Michigan’s 68th House District against Rep. Sarah Anthony in 2018. He told City Pulse last year that he studied political science at Lansing Community College and was an assistant teacher for Ingham Intermediate School District. 

Hutchinson, 48, has run (and lost) political campaigns in virtually every level of government in Michigan, including multiple bids for City Council in Flint and Lansing, the state legislature and against Whitmer in 2018. Fliers list his top campaign priorities as campaign finance reform, school safety, education, taxes, gun control, healthcare, human trafficking and immigration.

Huber, 54, is a research assistant at Michigan State University, community organizer with the Averill Woods Neighborhood Association and board member at the Schrodinger Academy. Her campaign — like her advocacy work — is focused on “building healthy communities and infrastructures that support the development of our youth, families” through “research, outreach, advocacy and policy development with an emphasis on diversity, inclusion and equity.”