Steve Whelan (left) and Chuck Grigsby (right) have been elected to the East Lansing City Council. (Courtesy photos)

Whelan, Grigsby Elected to City Council; Voters Reject Parks Millage

East Lansing has new leadership. 

Voters elected Steve Whelan and Chuck Grigsby to serve on the East Lansing City Council from a field of six candidates, according to unofficial results reported on the county clerk’s website. Whelan and Grigsby will join Kerry Ebersole Singh, Mark Meadows and Erik Altmann on council. 

Whelan was the leading vote getter with 2,609 votes. Grigsby received 2,335 votes to earn the second slot. 

Steve Whelan (left) at an election watch party Tuesday night. Whelan, who recently retired from the East Lansing Police Department after 25 years of service, received the most votes at Tuesday’s election. (Lucas Day for ELi)

Whelan and Grigsby finished ahead of Adam DeLay with 1,732 votes, Liam Richichi with 1,702 votes, Joshua Ramirez-Roberts with 1,693 votes and Kath Edsall with 1,587 votes. 

Whelan and Grigsby will replace outgoing Mayor George Brookover and Councilmember Dana Watson, who did not seek reelection. At the new council’s first meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18, the five-member body will select a mayor and mayor pro tem among themselves. Singh currently serves as mayor pro tem. 

Chuck Grigsby at a candidate forum held in September. Grigsby was elected to serve on the East Lansing City Council at Tuesday’s election. (Brian Wells for ELi)

Parks and recreation millage soundly defeated. 

While millages usually pass easily in East Lansing, voters soundly rejected a proposed parks and recreation millage, with 61% of voters against the millage and 39% in favor. 

The millage would have helped the city alleviate its financial challenges by shifting its general fund contribution to parks and recreation to money raised by the millage. 

East Lansing City Council candidate Liam Richichi at a watch party last night. Richichi finished fourth with 1,702 votes. (Anna Liz Nichols for ELi)

Had the millage passed, it would have increased the property tax cap currently in place by two mills. The millage also would have insulated the parks department from potential cuts the city may need to make to balance its budget.