Lansing City Charter Commission tones down website language

THURSDAY, OCT. 9 — A city of Lansing website has been updated to alter language about the proposed City Charter following a complaint filed with state officials by City Council President Ryan Kost.

The lansingvotes.gov/yourcharter website, which previously stated that the proposed charter “improves transparency” and “increases accountability” by requiring the mayor to present a strategic plan, now says the charter “seeks to improve transparency” and “seeks to increase accountability.” The former version is accessible via the Web Archive.

At the Sept. 29 City Council meeting, Kost and Councilmember Brian T. Jackson alleged that a Charter Commission mailer to Lansing residents and the commission's website, which the mailer links to, are persuasive in nature and thus violate election law. The mailer was paid for by the Charter Commission, which is funded by the city, Deputy City Clerk Brian P. Jackson said. It cost over $6,000.

“Why are we sending out a persuasive piece on something that’s supposed to be for voters to decide and it’s supposed to be matter-of-factly?” Jackson asked at the meeting.

Other parts of the website Kost and Jackson critiqued, such as the verbiage around voting to retain a strong mayoral system “to ensure the mayor remains accountable to voters,” remain unchanged.

During public comment, Lansing resident Loretta Stanaway said the mailer “was nothing short of propaganda.”

“I don’t care how you parse the words, that was a definite attempt to influence people to vote in a particular way,” she said.

The Michigan Department of State’s website, which reports determinations made in alleged campaign finance violations, does not display the complaint, meaning no determination has been made yet.

The commission’s chair, Brian Jeffries, and its attorney, Kristen Rewa, could not immediately be reached for comment. City Clerk Chris Swope, who also serves as the commission's clerk,  declined to comment on the changes.