4th Warders: Choose preservation

Voters in Lansing’s 4th Ward who care about historic preservation have an opportunity on Nov. 5 to send a clear message to City Hall: Do better.

They can do that by voting for City Council candidate Heath Lowry.

In his endorsement interview, Lowry expressed clear and strong support for preservation. That is, however, not the only reason he deserves your vote. At just 32, he brings an impressive set of credentials. He is a Michigan State University Law School graduate with a focus on Indigenous law, a staff attorney and policy specialist for the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, president of the Westside Neighborhood Association, a member of the Lansing Zoning Appeals Board, and a former executive officer of the Ingham County Democratic Party. His record of civic engagement makes him a compelling choice.

Preservation is a defining issue in this election — one that speaks to what kind of community 4th Ward residents want to build and protect.

Lowry’s opponent, Peter Spadafore, has served the last eight years as an at-large Councilmember. He initially announced he wouldn’t seek reelection. Then 4th Ward incumbent Brian T. Jackson bowed out. Spadafore changed his mind, citing lingering doubts about stepping away, though he admitted he didn’t want to disrupt the at-large race, where he would have faced union-backed Councilmember Jeremy Garza. He now calls the 4th Ward a chance to “serve the residents differently … the residents that can look to me as their first line of defense.”

Yes, local politics often hinges on parks, roads, and basic services — but preservation matters too. Many 4th Ward residents were deeply troubled by the loss of old Eastern High School. Its demolition stemmed from a failure by the Lansing School Board — when Spadafore was president — to secure stronger protections in negotiating its sale to Sparrow Health System.

Then, as a Councilmember, Spadafore quickly swallowed the University of Michigan’s Kool-Aid after it acquired Sparrow with its plan to tear down the historic school and build a psychiatric facility. He authored a Lansing State Journal op-ed headlined: “It’s time to prioritize people, mental health over saving old Eastern High School”— a direct dismissal of the very name of the grassroots group formed to seek a compromise: the Committee to Save Historic Eastern and Promote Mental Health.

UM-Sparrow rejected every effort at collaboration. Eventually, labor unions, concerned about losing construction jobs, pressured City Council to block a study that could have delayed demolition by exploring the building’s eligibility as a local historic site. Before any of that happened, Spadafore had already chosen a side, and it wasn’t preservation.

What the community needed was leadership  — someone to step up and explore how to save an important landmark while still meeting urgent mental health needs. Spadafore didn’t lead that charge. He followed UM-Sparrow’s lead.

Those who fought to save Eastern soon realized they lacked the power, money and legal support to go up against the University of Michigan. And while much has been said about the decline of Lansing’s preservation ethic, the real takeaway is this: preservationists must get stronger, because more fights are coming.

The next one is Nov. 5.

Voters in the 4th Ward can choose Lowry, a bright, dedicated, preservation-minded candidate, over Spadafore, who failed to stand up when it mattered most.

Lowry’s election alone would not transform Lansing into a preservation stronghold. But it would be a step in the right direction — and a signal that the next time a battle like Eastern’s comes before the Council, the outcome might be different.