Lansing - When Mayor Tony Benavides talks about Lansing, it's almost as if he's mayor of a small town.
He knows neighborhoods, ordinances, city businesses and some citizens by name. He can even tell you specific complaints they've had with the city.
That's probably because he's been a council member for the southwest corner of Lansing for more than 22 years.
"I'm not new to the system," Benavides said. "Most people remember me as the council member from the third ward because I was there for 20 years, and I just tell them, 'You know, that's my babies over there.'"
The incumbent mayor, Benavides, 66, will be competing against state Sen. Virg Bernero this fall. They were the top two candidates from the primary and will compete for mayor at the general election Nov. 4. The winner will finish out the remaining two years of former Mayor David Hollister's four-year term.
Bernero took in 4,506 votes in the August primary, while Benavides took 6,668 of the total 12,182 votes.
Benavides, former council president, was promoted to mayor in January when Hollister left office to work in Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration. The mayoral position pays $107,000 per year to manage the city's $100-million budget.
If elected, Benavides says his first order of business will be to finish out projects started by Hollister.
"With me being on the council for 22 years, I know I approved these things, now I'm going to exercise and administer them," he said.
Included in the downtown housing would be new apartment complexes geared toward out-of-state Cooley Law School students.
"Housing and education go together," Benavides said. "You have to have affordable housing and you have to have community development."
Aside from attracting businesses, Benavides said he also hopes to improve the school district.
"They will concentrate on reading, writing and math, but at the end, they must also be able to produce the workforce that the businesses and industries are expecting us to produce," he said.
Some city council members say it's important for the future mayor to work together with the council.
"If not, we get into a situation where neither (council nor mayor) wins, and the people don't win either," Councilmember Sandy Allen said.
A Lansing resident for 51 years and a MSU graduate, Benavides worked for 30 years as an executive director at the Cristo Ray Community Center, a social work agency affiliated with the Catholic Church.
But Bernero says he lacks the strength to be an effective mayor.
"Lansing is at a crossroads in the absence of David Hollister," Bernero said. "We need stronger leadership in that office."
Benavides said he feels experience will win the race.
"I strongly feel that I have paid my dues, and I've waited patiently for this day," he said.
