East Lansing city council's divided loyalty

January 27, 2026

East Lansing's Independent Police Oversight Commission (ELIPOC) was established in 2021:

 

"It's purpose is to increase accountability of the East Lansing Police Department and strengthen conditions leading to trust in the police department by the community...." Its "adoption...was preceded by seven months of discussion, research and community outreach by a Study Committee..."(source)

After five years of operation, ELIPOC has been put out of commission, so to speak, by East Lansing's police union and the state's Employment Relations Commission. And East Lansing's city council - awash with campaign contributions from union PACs - does not seem to have a problem with that.

I wrote about this back in September: Collective bargaining trumps democracy in East Lansing. East Lansing Info has had several stories on it:

• East Lansing Police Oversight Commission Moves to Hire Attorneys, Say New Police Contract Hurts Transparency, Accountability - May 21, 2025

• ELPD, Oversight Commission Clash Over Complaint Transparency Under New Union Contract -  July 11, 2025

• East Lansing to Assemble Team to Review Finances; Council Considers Changes that Police Oversight Commission Say Hurts Transparency, Accountability - August 15, 2025

• Lansing City Council Adopts Ordinance Changes that Limit Police Oversight Commission; Decline Pay Increase - October 24, 2025

• EL Police Oversight Commissioners Bristle at New Speech Limits, Seek Transparency Around Pepper-Spray Incident  - December 5, 2025

• East Lansing Police Oversight Commission Will Look to Increase Community Involvement - Jan 26,2026

City council created ELIPOC and then was complicit in crippling it. Even if they believed they were forced to do so by Michigan law, they should have been screaming bloody murder. East Lansing is a liberal city, and although city council races are non-partisan, we can assume all council members are Democrats. And we know that Democrats worship collective bargaining before God. But they may also have been influenced by campaign contributions:

 

	Mark Meadows
	Date	Amount		Contributor
	9/14/2023	$5,000		Plumbers and Pipefitters
	10/2/2023	$1,000		Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters
	10/15/2023	$250		Michigan Professional Firefighters Union
	10/30/2023	$500		IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund
	Kerry Ebersole Singh
	8/25/2023	$5,000		Pumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 PAC
	8/25/2023	$1,000		Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters
	10/19/2023	$250		Michigan Professional Firefighters Union
	11/4/2023	$500		IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund
	Steven Whelen
	9/9/2025	$500		Capital City Labor Program
	Eric Altman
	10/15/2023	$250		Michigan Professional Firefighters Union
	Chuck Grigsby
	10/25/2025	$250		Michigan Professional Firefighters Union
	10/25/2025	$500		LIUNA Local 499
	7/24/2025	$1,000		Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters PAC
	9/25/2025	$5,000		UA Local 333 PAC

(If you are interested, here's how to view campaign finance reports.)

Whelen and Grigsby just took office January 1, so they weren't there when the ELIPOC ordinance was butchered, but the campaign contributions they accepted suggest they are union-friendly. Check out Grigsby's endorsements page, where he thanks his "union partners". And although Whelen, an ELPD retiree (source) received only one campaign contribution from a union PAC, it was from Capital City Labor Program, the union that represents East Lansing police.

Can city council members who receive campaign support from unions be expected to put the needs of the community before union demands?

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