City Properties for Sale

There is strong support for opposition to the selling of City property, the City Parking lots. I won't step on the explanations given by others, but I would also suggest that we use the voting upon selling the property as a vote of confidence with the council.
If you have no opinion about the properties but are quite dissatisfied with the behavior of council, vote no. Like wise, if you have no opinion about the properties but basically approve of the actions of the council, vote yes.
This can be an excellent barometer of the feelings towards City Council by the voters. If the selling of City property is soundly defeated, it could mean that the next step for the citizens is recalling some of the council members.
I would rather see the effort be used to discuss a ward system as in Lansing and each ward represents a district rather than having council be an at-large council member. Along with this, I would suggest voting specifically for Mayor. The role of City Manager can still be kept in place, some have suggested that the power of the East Lansing City Manager is too much for an appointed position.
This is not the time to discuss these topics, but it would be appropriate to keep these thoughts on your mind as you vote. Then if there is a real interest in pursuing recall or a ward system with voters electing a mayor, it can be put on the table for discussion.
Scott Bame
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