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Union influence in Lansing
government
February 12, 2026
On June 29 of last year, Ronald Holley contributed $50 to the campaign
of Jeremy Garza, who was running for Lansing city council at large.
There is nothing special about that other than it was the only
contribution to the Garza campaign from an individual.
It's
not that he didn't ask. The rest of a total of $60,550
was from political action committees, most of them unions. Here they
are:
| |
Jeremy Garza |
|
| |
2/14/2025 |
Sprinkler Fitters LU 669
|
500 |
| |
2/20/2025 |
Plumbers and Pipefitters
Local 333 |
24,500 |
| |
2/21/2025 |
Monroe Plumbers &
Pipefitters |
2,000 |
| |
3/5/2025 |
IUPAT (International Union
of Painters & Allied Trades) |
1,000 |
| |
3/12/2025 |
Pipefitters Local 636 |
2,500 |
| |
3/18/2025 |
Teamsters Local 243 PAC |
500 |
| |
3/26/2025 |
IBEW PAC |
2,000 |
| |
3/31/2025 |
Sheet Metal Workers Local 7 |
7,500 |
| |
4/14/2025 |
West Michigan Plumbers
Local 174 |
1,000 |
| |
4/28/2025 |
Michigan Regional Council
Carpenters |
1,000 |
| |
5/19/2025 |
Michigan Laborers Political
League |
2,500 |
| |
6/4/2025 |
Lansing Firefighters
|
500 |
| |
6/9/2025 |
Operating Engineers Local
324 |
1,500 |
| |
6/18/2025 |
LRC PAC - Lansing Regional
Chamber |
1,000 |
| |
8/5/2025 |
Iron Workers Local 25 PAC
Fund |
1,000 |
| |
9/3/2025 |
IBEW PAC |
5,000 |
| |
9/25/2025 |
Plumbers Local 98 PAC - Ann Arbor |
5,000 |
| |
9/30/2025 |
Plumbers Local 98 PAC - Troy |
1,500 |
You can see Garza's campaign finance reports here:
pre-primary,
post-primary,
pre-general
The other council candidates received PAC
contributions in 2025, too, but not so many from unions. Here they are:
| |
Peter
Spadafore |
|
| |
9/24/2025 |
Plumbers and Pipefitters
Local 333 |
5,000 |
| |
9/29/2025 |
MI Regional Council
of Carpenters PAC |
1,000 |
| |
10/15/2025 |
LRC PAC (Lansing Regional
Chamber) |
1,500 |
| |
9/9/2025 |
GCSI 21st Century PAC |
250 |
| |
9/9/2025 |
Clark Hill PAC |
100 |
| |
8/6/2025 |
RPAC - Realtors |
2,450 |
| |
|
|
| |
Deyanira
Nevarez Martinez |
|
| |
10/2/2025 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,500 |
| |
10/21/2025 |
Schor Leadership Fund |
1,000 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Clara Martinez |
|
| |
6/25/2025 |
LRC PAC - Lansing Regional
Chamber |
1,500 |
| |
7/15/2025 |
Comcast Corporation PAC |
250 |
| |
7/20/2025 |
MI Regional Council
of Carpenters PAC |
1,000 |
| |
7/20/2025 |
MI Education Association |
500 |
| |
9/24/2025 |
Lansing Regional Chamber
PAC |
2,500 |
| |
9/27/2025 |
Committee to Elect
Gabrielle Lawrence |
500 |
| |
9/30/2025 |
Plumbers and Pipefitters
Local 333 |
5,000 |
| |
10/1/2020 |
MOSS PAC (state senator
Jeremy Moss - "Marketing Our State Stronger") |
1,000 |
| |
10/1/2020 |
Realtors PAC |
2,400 |
| |
10/19/2025 |
Schor Leadership Fund |
2,000 |
| |
10/19/2025 |
IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund |
2,000 |
| |
11/2/2025 |
Lansing Regional Chamber
PAC |
2,500 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
The
following council members were elected in 2023: |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Adam Hussain |
|
| |
6/29/2023 |
IBEW Local 352 |
500 |
| |
6/292023 |
Greater Lansing Association
of Realtors |
500 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Ryan Kost |
|
| |
6/26/2023 |
Greater Lansing Association
of Realtors |
500 |
| |
8/10/2023 |
IBEW 352 |
500 |
| |
11/1/2023 |
IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund |
500 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Trini
Pehlivanoglu |
|
| |
6/21/2023 |
Abraham Real Estate |
2,400 |
| |
5/23/2023 |
Lansing Regional Chamber |
2,500 |
| |
6/30/2023 |
Realtors Political Action
Committee of Michigan |
1,000 |
| |
7/24/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,000 |
| |
9/1/2023 |
Realtors Political Action
Committee of Michigan |
1,400 |
| |
9/19/2023 |
Comcast Corporation and NBC Universal PAC |
200 |
| |
9/19/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,650 |
| |
9/23/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,500 |
| |
9/29/2023 |
Michigan Regional Council
Carpenters |
2,500 |
| |
9/29/2023 |
Plumbers and Pipefitters
Local 333 |
2,500 |
| |
10/5/2023 |
Jeremy Garza Leadership PAC |
250 |
| |
10/18/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,250 |
| |
10/27/2023 |
PG Manufacturing LLC |
1,000 |
| |
11/6/2023 |
IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund |
500 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Tamera Carter |
|
| |
7/20/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,000 |
| |
5/19/2023 |
Realtors Political Action
Committee of Michigan |
2,500 |
| |
8/29/2023 |
Realtors Political Action
Committee of Michigan |
1,400 |
| |
9/12/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,150 |
| |
9/12/2023 |
Comcast Corporation and NBC Universal PAC |
200 |
| |
9/21/2023 |
Greater Than (greaterthanpac.org) |
2,000 |
| |
9/27/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
4,450 |
| |
9/29/2023 |
Plumbers and Pipefitters
Local 333 |
2,500 |
| |
9/29/2023 |
Plumbers and Pipefitters
Local 333 |
2,500 |
| |
10/11/2023 |
Lansing Regional
Chamber PAC |
1,250 |
I got this information by downloading the campaign
finance reports from the county clerk's website.
You can do that, too.
Jeremy
Garza's website says he is one of us, but he is clearly a union man
first. I talked about dominance of city government by unions in my
October 20 story opposing the
new city charter (and about the same phenomenon in East Lansing
here). The most visible
example
of the damage for Lansing is the
$574,539,378 in unfunded pension and retiree health care liabilities,
which cost the city over
$45 million a year.
One thing I can't figure out is the Lansing Chamber
of Commerce' support of union candidates (Garza) and causes (the new
city charter). I thought the Chamber was supposed to be in the side of
business. Maybe somebody can explain it to me.
An observation by reporter Matt Mencarini of the
Lansing State Journal illustrates the gulf between the Lansing community
and the unions. At a public meeting about the new Deep Green data
center, he said,
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Twenty-five
people addressed City Council members about the data center during the
Jan. 26 meeting before Peffley spoke. Only three spoke in clear favor,
and all three said they represented trade unions whose members
could be hired for construction.
LSJ 2/5/2026 |
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