Government

Oscar Castaneda’s story is an American story, that of a bright immigrant seeking better opportunities for himself and his family. He found it in the United States, and in East Lansing, but the narrative of success and opportunity has taken an unexpected and negative turn that threatens to undo all that he and his family have achieved.

Image: City Council tonight

A surprise discussion broke out tonight at City Council during dialogue about the subject of the last agenda item: the ballot proposal to change the City Charter to limit East Lansing’s ability to restrict marijuana possession. The published agenda had named only discussion of when the vote on the proposal would occur. With no prior notice to the public, Council and the City Attorney suddenly began discussing letters received from Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office and Governor Rick Snyder regarding the proposal.

Sleet and snow fell in East Lansing today with temperatures falling fast and, according to the National Weather Service, set to stay below 16 degrees for the next several days. As a consequence of the weather, East Lansing property owners will likely find themselves struggling to adhere to the City’s strict snow and ice removal ordinance.

In his formal response to the Michigan Department of State regarding a complaint made against him under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, City Manager George Lahanas has maintained he did not violate the Act by using a taxpayer-funded publication to disseminate his opinion on a ballot proposal. At issue is Lahanas’s use of the City’s September Dialog newsletter to tell residents he hoped they would vote “yes” on a development-related ballot proposal.

Image: Todd Arend, representing PDIG at Council last night

At East Lansing City Council last night, further discussion of the proposal from PDIG to redevelop the corner at Abbot Road and Grand River was deferred until January—but not before many objections to the developer from citizens and a lengthy Council discussion about how and when the City might legally be able to end the project if concerns about the developer’s trustworthiness persist.

Image: Nathan Triplett and Susan Woods at City Council

At City Council’s work session last night, Council entered into a lengthy debate about how, if at all, it should work to make sure East Lansing citizens know from whom Councilmembers have taken campaign contributions. The issue came up in response to a proposed amendment to the Code of Ethics from Councilmember Ruth Beier.

Image: Planning Director Tim Dempsey speaks at City Council

Tonight at City Council, Planning Director Tim Dempsey told Council that the development company PDIG—with which the City is actively negotiating on what would be the largest development in City history, at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road—is owned in part by minor children.

According to the State Integrity Investigation, Michigan gets an “F” on its Corruption Risk Report Card. This puts Michigan at 44^th in the national ranking.