Issues

Every family in East Lansing deserves to feel safe on our streets—whether walking to school, biking to a park, or simply crossing the street. As your city council member, if elected, I will make safer streets a top priority—especially for the families and children who call East Lansing home. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about speeding cars near schools and in their neighborhoods, lack of enforcement, or missing sidewalks. We need smart traffic calming measures like raised crosswalks, better signage, including more stop signs, and protected bike and walking paths—especially around schools, parks, and residential areas. I support adopting Vision Zero principles to eliminate serious traffic injuries and fatalities by designing streets that protect our most vulnerable residents. Vision Zero looks at traffic related accidents as avoidable, not inevitable, and it’s about time we start talking about it that way and enforcing policies that reflect that creed. To make these improvements effective and lasting, I believe in strong, ongoing communication with the people and organizations who know our streets best. That means working closely with school officials, police, MSU leadership, and neighborhood associations to identify problem areas and implement real solutions. Whether it's improving Safe Routes to School, making crosswalks safer near student housing, or addressing traffic patterns during school pick-up times, we need collaboration—not just policy. By bringing all partners to the table and listening to families, educators, and public safety officials, we can create a safer, more connected East Lansing where children can grow up with the freedom to walk, bike, and explore their community with confidence.

East Lansing and Michigan State are deeply connected — and when we work together, we both thrive. Its faculty, students, and staff are part of our community. It’s time to bridge the divide between the university and the city with real collaboration, mutual respect, and solutions that make sense for residents and students alike. The conversations should not be us versus them. Its all of us. Students are neighbors, voters, and contributors to our city, many of them paying East Lansing income taxes and frequenting our businesses. As a councilmember, I would love to propose a joint East Lansing-MSU liaison committee with both resident and student voices, hearing issues that face each unique population and coming up with real solutions together. 

But while the university plays a vital role in East Lansing, we must also ensure that the needs of our residents are not overlooked. Our neighborhoods, schools, roads, and public services rely on a balanced partnership — one where MSU respects the city and works alongside us to address the challenges that affect all of us. It’s time to bridge the divide between the university and the city with real collaboration, mutual respect, and solutions that make sense for everyone.

I believe that with the right leadership, we can find common ground — a place where students, long-term residents, business owners, and university officials can come together. Whether it’s ensuring that housing remains affordable for residents, reducing the strain on local infrastructure during peak university events, or making sure that students have safe, accessible housing near campus, we can create solutions that meet the needs of both MSU and our neighborhoods.

We can’t build a better, more inclusive East Lansing by ignoring our financial reality — but we also can’t address our budget challenges by slashing essential services or stalling the progress our community deserves. Responsible governance means finding the balance between fiscal discipline and smart investment, and that’s exactly what I’m committed to bringing to the table. We can provide the same quality of services our city currently provides by increasing the tax base, whether that be through more student housing, affordable and workforce housing, or incentivizing more commercial development in our downtown corridors. 



Over the past several years, our city has been hit hard by financial missteps — from costly lawsuits to the poorly handled BWL franchise fee decision — and these mistakes have had real consequences for East Lansing residents. They've drained city resources, eroded public trust, and ultimately cost you and your family more money. These aren’t just policy blunders — they’re failures of leadership, planning, and communication.

 

That’s one of the main reasons I’m running: to bring steady, transparent leadership focused on long-term sustainability and investment. I want to ensure that our city not only avoids these kinds of missteps moving forward but actually thrives — by investing in infrastructure, services, and initiatives that make East Lansing a great place to live for everyone.

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With a professional background in finance, association management, and fundraising, I understand the importance of a balanced budget and how to stretch every dollar to its fullest potential. I’ve worked with organizations to build trust with stakeholders, increase communications and accountability, and fund the future with care and integrity. I’ll bring those same values to City Council — because East Lansing deserves leaders who respect your tax dollars and invest them in what really matters.

East Lansing deserves housing policies that work for everyone — from to seniors students, renters to homeowners. I believe we can preserve what makes our neighborhoods special while still preparing for the future. The Housing Overlays introduced originally by Councilmember Mark Meadows are a great step in the right direction, letting homeowners decide on local neighborhood rental policies, but I know that we can take it a step further with responsible and equitable development. We have a housing shortage in our country, and East Lansing is not exempt from that. Here are some ideas that could be successful in our city:

Continue building up. Highrises for students, like The Hub and Landmark, means less landlords buying up single-family homes and renting them out at above-market rates, squeezing out new families.
 

Rezone for multi-family in strategic corridors (like Michigan Ave, Grand River).

Encourage mixed-income developments via inclusionary zoning incentives.

I’m committed to creating a city where people can afford to live, stay, and thrive — without losing the character of the neighborhoods we love. Students are a vital part of East Lansing — but student housing policy shouldn’t be dictated by developers alone. We need to ensure student housing is safe, affordable, and located in a way that eases pressure on long-term neighborhoods and increases the supply of available single-family homes. I support planning that protects both long-term residents and student renters, who, through responsible planning, can turn into long-term residents like myself. Our neighborhoods are what make East Lansing feel like home — and I will work to preserve their safety, character, and sense of community.