UPDATE

Lansing Councilman 'forgot' to attend committee meetings in 2020

Jackson 'embarrassed’ after missing 11 out of 12 sessions

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TUESDAY, Jan. 5 — Lansing City Councilman Brian Jackson hopes local residents will forgive his forgetfulness after records showed he missed 11 out of 12 meetings of the Ways and Means Committee — in part because he “forgot” his committee assignment after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, he said. 

Fourth Ward Councilman Brian Jackson was appointed to the City Council’s finance-oriented Committee on Ways and Means last January. Minutes show he attended only one meeting in 2020, missing the committee's second meeting in February and 10 more through November. 

Jackson also missed five of the nine Committee on Public Safety meetings, two City Council meetings and one Committee of the Whole meeting in 2020, records showed. A City Pulse analysis determined he had the spottiest attendance of any member of the City Council in 2020. 

County records also show that Jackson missed all 12 meetings of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission last year. He was appointed to serve on that 19-member board  in February alongside Councilmen Peter Spadafore and Brandon Betz and City Clerk Chris Swope. 

But it was his Ways and Means assignment that he said he just plain forgot. 

“Not sure how I forgot about that, but I was operating in most of 2020 like I was not on Ways and Means. Thank you for bringing it to my attention” Jackson told City Pulse, which compiled attendance records for all eight members of the City Council earlier today. “I’m embarrassed.” 

Minutes show Jackson attended the Ways and Means committee’s first meeting in January and had an excused absence for the next one in February. 

The pandemic arrived in March, shifting the next (newly virtualized) committee meeting to July. But by then, Jackson had entirely “forgot” that he was assigned to the three-person committee alongside Council President Spadafore and Councilwoman Carol Wood, he said. 

At this week’s City Council meeting, Jackson issued a “public apology” for his poor attendance following a brief text message exchange with a City Pulse reporter on Monday. Jackson has yet to respond to several questions, including on whether he intends to run for reelection this year. His term representing the Fourth Ward in northwest Lansing expires on Dec. 31. 

“I basically forgot I was on the committee,” Jackson told the City Council at tonight’s meeting. “Thankfully, city business was not delayed as the other committee members were able to pass business and move it forward in my absence. I assure you all that it won’t happen again.” 

The three-person Ways and Means Committee needs two Council members to establish a quorum. Leaving only Wood and Spadafore on board last year, committee business could have been  paused  by something as simple as a bathroom break. Neither could miss a meeting. 

“Our office manager sends meeting requests. We all agree to the schedule,” Spadafore said today. “I’m not exactly sure it’s my duty to track down everyone’s individual schedules, but with such a small number of people on the committee, attendance issues can present challenges.” 

Spadafore, as newly reelected president in 2021, said he will consider reconfiguring committee assignments this year. That lineup will be announced at a Council meeting later this month, but could include a streamlined approach in which some similar committees are merged with others. 

As for whether Jackson’s attendance will affect his consideration for committee roles this year? 

“Those decisions will be made entirely based on interest and history,” Spadafore added. 

The Ways and Means committee reviews any and all budget modifications and programmatic audits, as well as provides oversight to the city’s short- and long-term financial condition, workforce needs and policy recommendations on nearly all finance-related matters in Lansing. 

In 2020, that committee looked at several hot-button issues in Lansing, including the concept of police divestment and planned changes to retirement benefits, among dozens of other topics. Spadafore and Wood attended all 12 meetings. Jackson was absent from 11 of them.  

Councilwoman Kathie Dunbar was late to arrive for at least a dozen City Council or Committee of the Whole meetings scheduled last year. Most other Council members missed a meeting or two. Spadafore and Wood were only late to one meeting each in 2020. 

Under City Charter, the City Council can require its members to maintain a certain threshold of meeting attendance and reprimand repeated unexcused absences with office forfeiture. No recorded instance of the mechanism ever having been used could be found. 

  • KYLE KAMINSKI

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  • Houghteb

    I'm confused - How does one miss so many meetings? Forgot? Wouldn't other committee members ask "Hey, where are you?" Do committee members not speak to each other? You would think someone would ask - - Or maybe they didn't care if you were there or not. Maybe it didn't really matter.

    Friday, January 8, 2021 Report this




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