Residents urge more wards and mayoral term limits during public comment

Two residents used the Sept. 11 Lansing Charter Commission public-comment period to press for changes to ward boundaries and mayoral term limits.

Nicholas Zandy, who identified himself as president of the Old River Neighborhood Association and a Second Ward resident, told commissioners the proposed five-ward plan with four at-large seats would under-represent parts of the city. He said he had proposed an eight-ward map with one at-large seat and said several neighborhoods were split by current ward lines, citing Clifford Park and Tisdale as examples where railroad tracks separate parts of a neighborhood and create access issues. “Four wards is generally not enough to adequately represent a city of a population of about maybe about, like, 43,000,” Zandy said, and urged the commission to consider ballot language to increase wards if the current plan fails.

Zandy also urged clearer, more balanced ward boundaries so that residential and commercial areas were not grouped awkwardly in a single ward. He said he would consider proposing ballot language to increase the number of wards from four to eight with one at-large seat if the commission’s plan did not adequately address representation concerns.

Another commenter, Eric Elmquist, who said he had served on councils under both systems, focused his remarks on governance and urged caution about changing to a strong-mayor system without fuller public discussion and revision. Elmquist told commissioners he had driven from Omaha to attend and said he would “have to vote no on this” until the commission took more time to revise the proposal.

The commission encouraged public attendance at upcoming neighborhood presentations: Sept. 23 at the Elfrude Schmidt Southside Community Center (6 p.m.) and Sept. 24 at the Lehi Community Center (6:30 p.m.). Commissioners said those sessions would present the commission’s work and accept questions from residents.