Mayor Schor on the Issues:

Public Safety

Public Safety and Community Support

Being safe and feeling safe in a community is important for all those that live, work, and visit. I have made this a top priority and will continue to focus on public safety in the future.

  • Investing limited resources in our first responders to provide the needed supports including very competitive pay and benefits for hiring and retention, new and updated equipment, and public support

  • Creation of a state-of-the-art, $175 million Public Safety and Courts campus in South Lansing

  • Creation and support of community-based programs like Lansing 360 and Advance Peace, working together on collaborative approaches to gun violence prevention through prevention, intervention, and enforcement.

  • Implementation of Operation Slowdown to combat excessive speeding on main streets and in neighborhoods

Strong Economy, Economic Development and Vibrancy

 

Strong Economy

Lansing’s growth must continue with building and rehabilitation. We will continue to build Lansing’s local economy by working with small businesses and companies to provide new job opportunities and build wealth for Lansing residents. We will also have the necessities such as housing for all incomes, daycare, entertainment, and transportation in Lansing

  • Bringing major concerts to Lansing with creation of the Ovation Center for Music & Arts in 2026, as well as supporting the opening of Grewal Hall downtown, the fish ladder concert venue in Old Town, and other smaller music and concert venues in Lansing.

  • Enhanced business districts and corridors with facade improvements and assistance for small businesses

  • Major redevelopment and building for manufacturing and advanced manufacturing

  • New housing projects for affordable, workforce, and market rate housing throughout the city

  • Corridor improvements and support for major business districts

 

Neighborhoods, Parks and Amenities

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods are the lifeblood of Lansing. Strengthening neighborhoods for all has been a key part of grow our city with equity. We will continue to foster vibrant neighborhoods by supporting our 111 parks, providing great recreational activities, helping neighbors to connect with each other and the city, and creating artistic and cultural spaces.

  • Created the Department of Neighborhood, Arts, and Citizen Engagement Department and budgeted hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding to neighborhood and civic groups in Lansing for community projects

  • Opened new parks and increased options for activities in parks (pickleball!), with all residents able to walk to a park within 10 minutes from their homes

  • Replacing old and outdated playground equipment, held neighborhood cleanups, created the citizen academy and walking Wednesdays

  • Started programs and created a city committee for public art to highlight creatives and vibrancy in Lansing.

  • Fostered better community service through creation of Lansing Connect and 311 One Call to City Hall where people can report issues (potholes, long grass, code violations, etc), and will be creating one-stop-shop service center in new City Hall

Streets, Water and Drainage

 

Fixing the Roads

Public infrastructure is a basic need for residents and visitors of any city. Michigan’s road laws create a system where Lansing received $17 million dollars (including our own millage) for $300 million in roads needs. We will do our best to fix the roads, and get the money we need to do this from the state. Additionally, Lansing will serve its citizens with efficient trash and recycling, snow plowing and pothole repair, rental housing inspection, and other necessary city services.

  • Put Snow plow information on website so citizens can track where things have been plowed.

  • Restarted sewer separation to ensure that our rivers are not polluted and we are in compliance with state and federal law

  • Patched thousands of potholes and fixed as many streets as possible with available dollars

  • Plowed main roads, and neighborhood roads with available resources

  • Increased neighborhood road funding and infrastructure improvements, and leading advocacy efforts for more State/Local Funding to fix our roads

  • Fixing sidewalks with corner cuts and asphalt wedges to remove trip hazards

 

Investing in City Services

City Services

Efficient city services are necessary for making a strong Lansing. Our city government will continue to provide the many services that residents expect, including trash and recycling, water and sewer, street and sidewalk repair, plowing, code compliance and building safety, and many other services. At the same time, we will be financially responsible with our city spending, providing a balanced budget that funds priorities of the city while staying within the means of our revenues. And we will remember to do this with sustainability and with equity throughout our city.

  • Continue to repair as many streets as possible with the dollars provided by the state and our Lansing millage (reminder: we receive $17 million in revenue for $300 million in need), including fixing potholes within 48 hours as the weather allows.

  • Perform city services within budget while maintaining the high bond rating, which has lowered interest rates and secured long-term financial outlooks.

  • Reduce unfunded liability, which is being reduced by $400 million.

  • Seek out federal, state, and private grants to continue to bring in millions of dollars for the city to improve infrastructure and use for one-time needs

  • Make the city more sustainable in areas such as fleet, buildings, and increasing the tree canopy, partnering city sustainability staff with dedicated staff provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies as well as using grant funding

Partnerships with Schools and Others

 

Education

The City of Lansing and its schools are dependent on each other. We must ensure that our children, who are our future, have the resources they need to succeed. We will continue to grow our strong partnership with Lansing schools. And I will continue to collaborate with leaders and organizations alike to address some of our most pressing challenges.

  • Frequent and continual work with the Lansing School District, Lansing Community College, Davenport, and other important educational institutions within our city.

  • Partner with MSU to boost our downtown, create childcare workers in Lansing, and utilize students and MSU resources to grow Lansing.

  • Work with Lansing Promise to put our students on a path to success through free college and certifications.

  • Continue reducing poverty and building generational wealth through educational opportunities.