Council - Special Meeting

through CV 1381, Smith and Woods versus City of East Lansing, et al. number 26-3081-aw for the reason that open meeting could have a detrimental financial effect on the litigating or settlement position of the city as allowed under subsection 8 sub 1 sub e of the open meetings act motion by singh second by whalen uh we'll call vote please councilmember whalen

Yes. Council Member Meadows. Yes. Council Member Singh. Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Grigsby. Yes. Mayor Altman.

Yes. Motion carries. We are adjourned to closed session.

Yes, yes.

hey we are returned from closed session thank you all for your patience next item on the agenda is item 3.1 upon return to open session city council may take action on matters discussed in closed session i believe there are no motions so we are concluding with that item that brings us to our business agenda uh first item is 4.1 consideration of ballot language from the community-led initiative for the november 3rd 2026 general election i'm going to invite people from the audience who want to comment on this item to please approach the podium didn't you have a card that was for the oh you're right that's right um i had a card they left okay um so seeing no comment on this issue i will go ahead and make a motion and move approval of the item resolution attached to the agenda item report second in motion by Altman second by Singh any discussion of that motion seeing none all those in favor say aye aye any opposed motion carries and that item resolution is adopted That brings us to item 4.2, which is consideration of an explanatory caption for a charter amendment to change city elections from odd years to even years and be placed on the ballot for the November 3rd, 2026 general election. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to address this? I have one slip, Adam DeLay.

That's a helpful sign. Hit the little tap button right there. Thank you for that. Um, good evening council. Thank you so much for, um, sort of bending the rules a little bit to allow us to, uh, speak to, uh, this issue. Prior to being, uh, considered, I very much appreciate that. um so as it relates to item 4.2 um I as an individual that was involved in the organization and the solicitation of signatures for this petition effort um I'd like to come before you this evening and ask that um Council not consider any um explanatory caption to be added along with the ballot question that we have put forward. The language that we have that was put forward was already part of the petition is fairly straightforward. It simply asks if residents would like to move East Lansing's local elections under the city charter from odd years to even years. We base this language off of similar petition efforts that were done in the cities of Grand Rapids, as well as the city of Flint. And my understanding is that in both of those cases, and neither of those municipalities had explanatory captions attached to those ballot questions either. I don't see a need for adding anything to this. Again, as I said, it's a fairly straightforward question. I think that there are a lot of things that could be said in terms of the pros or the cons or what impacts this proposal may have on local city elections here in East Lansing. So trying to sort of pick what part of the issue you would want to put in an explanatory caption versus another either side effect or another you know what would this mean if passed or if not passed. I think there's so much to be said that trying to narrow it down into an explanatory caption, you're just not going to have enough room to do that. And I would go back to 2024 when there was the housing charter amendment I know at that time Council considered putting an explanatory caption that was sort of very detailed and ultimately decided against doing that and instead went with. I think something that was much more straightforward simply saying. This was a citizens petition and not really getting much more into the issue than that. Um, and I don't think even in that case um that's gonna be necessary for this particular one. Um, you guys just passed language without an explored explanatory caption. So I guess I would want it. Why would we want to do an explanatory caption for This proposal when the one that you just voted on you didn't see a need to do an explanatory caption, so I think in the interest of being consistent with how we are responding to petitions that are brought forward to you in this case by over 1200 East Lansing registered better voters. City Council Chambers, Again, to just simply allow the language to be placed on the ballot as it has been presented as it has been petitioned by the residents of this city and just simply again not add any explanatory caption Thank you.

City Council Chambers, Thank you, is there anyone else who would like to address. City Council Chambers, The Council on this issue. City Council Chambers, Okay, oh. Seeing none, I will have a motion, which is to adopt the following explanatory caption. I'll read into the record. A citizen-initiated proposal to amend the city charter to move all city elections to even years which, if passed, would extend the terms of current officeholders by one year note that even if approved the city council must take action to finalize the move of city elections to even years that's my motion second motion by altman second by whale and i'll just address that uh the resolution that we voted on in item 4.1 to place that item on the ballot did also have an explanatory caption any further discussion

John Potter, I do just one comment I I was frankly after I read the developed language or the proposed language for the chart I was surprised that our terms were being extended. John Potter, For a year in any event, which means that all five of the current Council members will serve five year terms before their next election comes up, I think the public has a right to know that and that's why i'm supporting this proposal.

Further discussion.

I think I would be in agreement with that. Just to make sure people understand that it wouldn't be shortening, but it would actually be lengthening all these terms. Further discussion?

OK. We don't have a conflict in voting on this. Yeah, it seems it could be perceived that way.

any further discussion okay seeing none the motion is on uh the explanatory caption as read into the record all those in favor say aye aye any opposed uh that motion carries and that explanatory caption is adopted that brings us to communications uh community item 5.1 communications from the audience is there anybody who would like to address that council.

Yeah. So now that I can't persuade you, Adam DeLay, 215 Bessemer Avenue. So let me explain why what you did is extraordinarily frustrating to me. I've been around politics for a long time and there is nothing more disingenuous than when somebody votes for something and then is disingenuous about why they are voting for it. Don't look me in the eye and say, oh, well, we just want to Make sure people know that our terms are getting extended know this is an attempt to poison pill the proposal just admit that. To the public admit that here tonight if somebody could look at me and say yes, we put this proposal. We put this explanatory caption on here because we believe that it will disincentive eyes voters from voting yes on it, we believe this will incentivize them to vote no because we don't. John Kane, support the proposal, and I know that at least two of you three of you don't support this proposal you've been vocal about that in the past, and this is an attempt to poison pill. John Kane, I was unaware that the previous one petition had an explanatory caption I appreciate you letting me know that, but I suspect that it was not done with the same degree of insidiousness as this was. um this is again is an attempt by this council to put its thumb on the scale of a proposal that we spent hours and hours going door to door going to events getting the signatures of over 1200 east lansing residents to have it say this is what we want to be on the ballot and to have five of you to simply just stroke your pen and put your language on there well why don't we say oh we want to say well it's going to extend terms and oh well council has to take action well yes the charter we would be amending the charter to require you to take this action that doesn't need to be on there that's just an attempt to obfuscate why don't we talk about why don't we put in the explanatory caption that this would save the city something like half a million dollars over the course of a decade well we'll know that would incentivize people to vote yes we don't want them to vote yes so that's why we're not going to put that on there how about we talk about the fact that putting this on that if this passes it would dramatically increase voter turnout in local elections We know that's the case, but we don't want to put that on there, because that sounds good, and we don't want people to vote on this. I am beyond frustrated that Council would take the position that they are going to attempt to go around the attempts of myself and all of the people. We had something what was like 20 different people that collected signatures for this effort. And again, very straightforward ballot language here. And I do not believe you when you say, well, we just think people should know that this is going to extend terms. Yeah, we legally can't shorten them, right? So this was pretty much the only option that we really had. And that's something that can be decided. That can be part of the debate that we have over this proposal. You say, well, we want people to know that this would be a result of it, that it would extend terms Okay, can I get a caption under that where I say yes, but that's only for. These two terms here, and then it would go back to four years and, by the way, let me list out on the ballot all of the positive effects. of this proposal. And again, I will flat out say that the reasons stated a moment ago are not the reasons why you all pursued and passed this explanatory caption. I know better. It was done to try and sink it. It was done to influence votes. And I tell you what, if somebody in your comments after this would just say, yeah, I oppose this and that's why we did this. Like, yeah, no, we structured comments and put an exploratory caption in that would try to influence the voters thinking at the ballot box. I promise you, I will not come back here for the rest of the year, right? Like you will not hear from me again if you just admit, what your real rationale is. And after this, everyone will go around and say, well, like, no, that wasn't what it is. We really just think it's important. Like, don't lie to me. Like, I am gonna make sure this passes. This is going to pass. And when it does, come 2028, we will make sure that people know that council tried to stop this and that they tried to manipulate the formal levers of power to try to influence that is what you have done this evening you have used misused your formal powers as members of an elected body to try to influence the outcome of an election all of us around here who talk about how much we hate voter intimidation and how we hate meddling in elections that is what you have just done you have just meddled in an election by putting your thumb on the scale thank you

thank you is there anybody else who would like to address the council on this issue okay um seeing none that ends communications from the audience are there any communications from council members yeah I'll respond to that because I think what's disingenuous is that comment actually every comment that was just made

the proposal simply says that for the ballot language simply says we want to change it change your election year from odd year to even year there are other things in the charter provision so it's not disingenuous for us to point out to the public that there are other things that are in effect of that particular language what's disingenuous and which tries to point the public in a different direction is leaving out those things. So you may think I'm disingenuous, but buddy, I think you are. And so that, again, we'll see what the public says. But, uh, you know, I think that, uh, 1200 people, hopefully we're all told that this will also extend the terms of city council members by a year, um, as they go forward and I see the heads knocking. So I'm, I'm happy that that was actually extended to the people who are signing this, but sorry, I want it on there because I think it actually describes what's actually gonna happen. And I don't think that's disingenuous in any way whatsoever.

Any further comments from council members? Okay. That brings us to adjourn. Is there a motion to adjourn?

There was, there was a caller in the queue.

Oh, let's hear from the caller.

Good evening. Cap Edsel, resident from the city of East Lansing. Um, I just agree with everything. I agree with everything Adam said. I'm going to just leave it at that because I have other comments to make. Starting with, here we go again. Last Monday morning, I was awakened early by the relentless pinging of my phone. Several people shared the video of my Anna's, uh, violent arrest. I watched as this young woman pled don't kill me. And all I could do is cry. I cried that we've gotten to a place where black and brown bodies can be used as punching bags on camera. And the police chief's response is akin to. Our hands are tied. The unions are too powerful. I cried because I saw my children in her terror and her cries for help in her mental calculation that what happened to Isaiah could happen to her. I cried because I saw my Anna. I saw in my Anna, every woman who has ever been physically or sexually assaulted by a man and the recognition that as many as 40% of police officers self report as domestic abusers, as those officers brutalize the woman they're supposed to protect. I cried because so many of us have warned you about this chief in this department. And all we've seen is a proposed rewrite of the use of force policy that lists multiple acts of aggression as deescalation and removes the statement about the importance of sanctity of life. I cried because I honestly believe that four of you are deeply disturbed by the actions of the ice agents across the country, but other than the public statement by council members saying have yet to condone the same military policing being used in our own beloved community against black and brown people. I cried because we have a chief in the department so emboldened as to police this community where most of them do not live in a biased discretionary manner of law enforcement, reminiscent of the Clinton's war on crime or the Nixon's war on drugs than anything resembling post George Floyd, 21st century compassionate public safety, simply because no one in power is telling them to stop. And all this crying has given me great strength to continue to expose the department, despite the obstacles you put in place, including hiring an intern. Interim city manager who apparently idolizes the chief and supports the brutalization of black and Brown people as evidenced by her inaction and a city attorney who is loving and taking full advantage of the city's deep pockets. As we, uh, speak as, as, and as speaking on behalf of all of you calling those of us who seek change. who want racial justice and compassion, who believe black lives matters, vicious anti law enforcement individuals. Maybe you are banking on the fact that all the lawsuits will be settled long after you're gone from council and you can deny responsibility. Maybe the cover your ass advice from the city attorney weighs heavy on your mind, but this city did not elect the city attorney. They elected you. It's time to stop with the hypotheticals and take action, fire the very least fire at the very least suspend the chief publish the findings of the external review of the department empower ellie talk to hold the department accountable speak out do something anything thank you are there any more callers no more callers okay that brings us to adjournment is there a motion to adjourn moved by singh second second by whalen all those in favor

Till tomorrow.