Catch Up With Our Reporting From This Week

It was another busy week for the ELi team, as the City Council voted to part ways with City Manager Robert Belleman and we published our first batch of reporting on the Aug. 4 election. 

Start your weekend by catching up with our work. 

East Lansing reaches separation agreement with City Manager Robert Belleman. 

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the council and Belleman mutually agreed to part ways. The decision was made less than three years into Belleman’s tenure and a month after a city employee accused him of sexual harassment and bullying during a City Council meeting, accusations she had made in a formal complaint given to the council last year. 

Belleman will receive more than $200,000 as part of the separation agreement with the city, as he will collect his full-year salary plus benefits. Managing Editor Luke Day reported on Belleman’s departure and the financial fallout. 

Longtime city employee and retired Planning, Building and Development Director Annette Irwin will lead the city as interim city manager for the next several months, while East Lansing carries out a search for a long-term manager. Irwin spoke with ELi reporter Dustin DuFort Petty about her goals as interim city manager and why she decided to come out of retirement to take the job. 

East Lansing Council narrows Human Rights Commission authority. 

The City Council approved ordinance amendments that will exempt city employees and elected officials from complaints the city’s Human Rights Commission can review and make other changes that commissioners say weaken their authority. At Tuesday’s meeting, council members asked city attorneys questions about why they feel the changes are necessary before the unanimous vote in favor. Reporter Ayah Imran covered the meeting.

Know the ballot: Get ready for the Aug. 4 election. 

While Election Day is still more than a month away, early voting laws in Michigan allow absentee ballots to be accepted 40 days in advance – meaning the first ballots can soon be cast!

To get voters ready, ELi published stories this week outlining most of the ballot initiatives and charter amendments that East Lansing residents should be prepared to decide on. 

Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols and Luke wrote about the three proposed city charter amendments. The amendments would move the swearing-in date of new council members and the election of the mayor and mayor pro tem to align with state law. Additionally, a proposed amendment would create new guidelines around the city manager position, including a requirement that future city managers live within 25 miles of East Lansing. 

Additionally, a millage that provides almost 70% of Potter Park Zoo’s operating budget will be decided. Luke spoke with Potter Park Director Cynthia Wagner about what the millage means for the zoo.

Another millage will provide funding to local parks and trails, if voters opt to renew it. The millage has paid for more than 100 projects over the last 12 years and planned future projects include expanding the Northern Tier Trail in East Lansing. Anna brings the details. 

Voters will also decide on a proposed tax increase on hotel and motel rooms. Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner spoke with Ayah about the proposal and said voters should know that the tax is levied on visitors, not full time residents, and it is used to improve county facilities. Read about the proposal here.

Photos: East Lansing’s annual Pride celebration returns downtown. 

East Lansing’s fifth annual Pride celebration was held downtown on Saturday, as vendors and drag performances filled the area. Reporter Ayah Imran took photos of this weekend’s festivities.

East Lansing Insider Podcast: LGBTQ+ history in East Lansing. 

In honor of Pride Month, Dustin talks to Tim Retzloff who teaches history and LGBTQ studies at Michigan State University. On this week’s episode of East Lansing Insider the conversation surrounds the city’s relationship with its LGBTQ+ residents, outlining the feelings of otherness from university students in the LGBTQ+ community and how that history impacts the city to this day. Listen to the podcast here or on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

There are four city meetings scheduled for next week. 

Things slow down in city government as June nears its end, as there are just four meetings scheduled next week. Wednesday (June 24), there is a Planning Commission meeting. Then on Thursday (June 25), the Downtown Development Authority, Building Board of Appeals and Financial Health Review Committee will each gather. When meeting agendas are posted, they can be found here.

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