What Lansing Council

At the January 26th, 2026 Lansing City council meeting many residents and folks from the surrounding area voiced concerns about the proposed downtown data center, trade union workers spoke in support. The city’s planning department and the Board of Water and Light (BWL)  presented and answered questions about the project. Public commenters and the council had concerns about the city's policy for addressing homelessness and the cold temperatures, as well as the treatment of homeless folks by the city police as captured in a video circulating online. The Union Missionary Baptist Church applied for a rezoning of their property on S MLK Jr Blvd to continue to operate as a temporary warming center for families. Council drafted a letter asking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to remove their masks when in Lansing, and asked the mayor to make a plan to protect all people here.

Be advised, violence is discussed in this episode.

Our guest this episode, Selina Máté, has worked in refugee resettlement for the last six years, she is also a creative content strategist, the co-owner of Peculiar coffee co., and was appointed to Lansing's Historic District Commission last year.

Check out Selina’s coffee company here:
https://www.peculiarcoffeeco.com/

Deep Green more info for Lansing website:
https://deepgreen.energy/lansing-public-info

Lansing City Council meeting schedules and documents:
https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council

Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:
https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncil

At the January 12th Lansing city council meeting citizens encouraged the mayor and council to give unhoused folks recently re-located to a hotel on the southside more time at the hotel, and to work on a holistic plan for addressing housing needs in the city.  Council set their schedule for the sale and rezoning of the site for the Deep Green proposed data center. Residents spoke up for and against a rezoning request for the planned development of a 29-unit apartment complex on W Mt Hope Ave.
Be advised, violence is discussed in this episode.
Our special guest is Julie Powers. Julie currently works as the Executive Director of Immigration Law and Justice Michigan. She has worked in the non-profit sector for 30 years in and out of Lansing.  Immigration Law and Justice Michigan is dedicated to fighting for justice and advocating for the rights of immigrants in Michigan, to create a more inclusive and compassionate society, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
To report ICE activity reach out to Michigan Immigrants Rights Center:
https://michiganimmigrant.org/
Immigration Law and Justice Michigan where Julie Powers works:
www.iljmi.org
Deep Green more info for Lansing website:
https://deepgreen.energy/lansing-public-info
Mayor’s budget input request form:
https://mi-lansing.form.transform.civicplus.com/60941
Merica 20 to life conversation with Loretta Stanaway:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GVPcz7WeV/
Recycle Rama April 25th:
https://www.facebook.com/MidMichiganRecycling/
Lansing City Council meeting schedules and documents:
https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council
Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s Patreon page here:
https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncil

At the January 5th Lansing City Council meetings the council chose their new president and vice president: fourth ward representative Peter Spadafore and at-large councilmember Trini Pehlivanoglu. A failure of the accessible commenting option, disagreement about the procedure for signing up for public comment, and a racially charged comment had this council off to a rocky start.
Our guest  William Lawrence is running for United States Congress to represent Mid-Michigan's 7th Congressional District in Washington D.C. A lifelong organizer, he founded a youth-led national climate action organization, Sunrise Movement, and has been working on housing issues at the local and state level as the founder of the Michigan Rent is Too Damn High Coalition. He was raised in East Lansing and now lives near downtown Lansing.
You can learn more about William’s campaign here:
https://wewill2026.com/
Here is where you can get involved with The Rent Is Too Damn High:
https://mirentistoodamnhigh.com/lansing/
Support this independent podcast and find meeting issue maps and bingo results on the patreon page here:
https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncil
Check out the Lansing City Council here:
https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council

At the December 15th Lansing city council meeting the council heard from 18 passionate residents about the transitional (mod pod) housing project. People were pissed at the 13 state house republicans who created massive state funding cuts. Six Old Town shopkeepers supported expanding the business district boundary. A four to four vote stalled a noise ordinance change. Three board appointments and two redevelopment tax abatements were approved, and there was one comment about the disgraced fire chief. 

Our special guest this episode is Khadja Erickson. Khadja is a dedicated housing advocate, organizer, and Executive Director of the Tenant Resource Center Mid Michigan. With years of experience in harm reduction, eviction defense, and grassroots organizing, she has worked tirelessly to ensure Lansing tenants have the tools, knowledge, and support they need to stay housed and assert their rights. She’s also a mom to five fabulous kids, which shapes how she thinks about stability, safety, and the kind of city we’re building for the next generation.
*CORRECTION* In the episode I said Dietrich Park was outside the new Old Town principal shopping district boundary - it looks like it actually inside the boundary.
Learn more about the Tennent Resource Center of Mid-Michigan here:
https://trcmm.org/

Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:
https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncil

Check out the Lansing City Council here:
https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council

During the December 8th Lansing city council meetings the public spoke to council about the importance of finding a good place, that works for everyone, for a proposed temporary housing community. Council debated the fairness of rolling back red tag fees on houses actively being renovated. Old town business owners had mixed feelings about expanding the tax boundary for their shopping district. Local and out of state redevelopers gave persuasive presentations asking for tax breaks. Der Krampus kommt, um dein Haus und dein Geld zu holen!
Our guest, Mia Murphy, works as the Chief Policy Officer at the non-profit Michigan Association of State Universities, she also serves on the board of the Salus center - an organization that serves the  inclusive 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the greater Lansing area, and she earned her PhD in higher, adult, & lifelong education from Michigan State University.

Learn more about the Salus Center:
https://www.saluscenter.org/

Here’s the site for A Place For Us - plans for an LGBTQ+ affirming homeless shelter in Lansing:
https://www.ap4ulansing.org/

Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:
https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncil

Check out the Lansing City Council here:
https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council