Early beginnings

Raised in Grand Ledge, Beard has lived in Greater Lansing his entire life. In addition to serving on City Council, he participated in the community as a Boy Scout leader and neighborhood representative, and served on various boards and commissions.

Beard, a 1983 graduate of MSU, received his bachelor’s degree in English. When Beard moved to the Marble Neighborhood in the 1990s, he became involved in a dispute between permanent residents and a landlord. Beard said although he never intended to be the leader for his neighbors, many looked to him to be a neighborhood representative.

“I kind of got thrust out front,” he said. “I think folks relied on me to articulate their concerns and issues. One thing led to another and I was invited to apply for the Planning Commission in 1995 and I served eight years.”

Since then, Beard has continued to serve on various boards and even ran for council in the early 2000s, but he was not elected until 2005.

“I have never seen anybody who cared more,” said Fred Bauries, chair of the East Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals and a friend of Beard for more than 12 years.

Beard’s involvement with various planning boards has given him the experience needed to help plan East Lansing’s future, Bauries said.

“He is a visionary and he is tenacious,” Bauries said. “All of that background, that was great training ground for serving on council.”

On the council

Serving as a council member since 2005, Beard said he has felt strongly about downtown development, nonmotorized transportation and student housing.

Beard has voted in favor of the East Village development, which would redevelop the area surrounding Cedar Village Apartments, and the City Center II development, slated for the corner of Abbot Road and Grand River and Evergreen avenues. He has voted for all four extensions of the City Center II project’s financing.

City Center II recently has seen controversy because of the financial woes of its developer, Strathmore Development Company. Although Beard has supported the project through the financial troubles, he was in favor of the council’s efforts to collect back taxes from the developer before moving forward with the project, which is required in the city’s charter.

“It’s right on target to redevelop the most prominent corner in our community,” Beard said. “It’s real estate that desperately needs to be redeveloped.”

Beard also has supported nonmotorized transportation plans and regional planning. He is a member of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission and helped shaped a comprehensive plan for future development in the region. Don Davis, chair of the Cable, Internet and Technology Commission, said Beard always has looked beyond East Lansing at the bigger picture of the region.

“I don’t think he is unaware that the regional community is going to rise and fall together,” Davis said.

Along with regional planning, Beard said he has been concerned with the relationship between MSU and the city. President of the MSU College Democrats Mitchell Rivard said the group endorsed Beard because of his progressive voting record and support of student issues.

“We really see him as a voice and a channel that we can get student rights issues to the forefront and looked at,” Rivard said.

One of the MSU Democrats’ concerns is affordable student housing. Beard said he hopes more affordable, apartment-style student housing options can be moved closer to campus.

“We’re really going to be urging (Beard) to support new complexes that keep costs low for students like us,” Rivard said.

With the ongoing rise in tuition, students such as packaging senior Brendan Taylor said more affordable housing needs to become an issue for city officials.

“Considering that I live in the downtown area, affordability is huge,” he said.

For the future

Beard said he hopes to be re-elected so he can continue planning East Lansing’s future.

Alan Fox, a political consultant with East Lansing-based Practical Political Consulting Inc., said Beard’s background makes him qualified.

“He came with a background of planning and community development issues that really dominate a lot of the issues council deals with,” Fox said.

Fox said although the election is smaller than others, the number of residents running against the incumbents shows the community has had few problems with them. But one issue separates Beard and Mayor Vic Loomis, the other council member seeking re-election, from their challengers, Phil Bellfy and Hans Larsen.

“The issue of controversy that separates the incumbents from the other two running is the City Center II controversy,” Fox said. “I don’t know if that will necessarily bring people out to vote.”

Councilmember Roger Peters said one issue that will be heavy on council in the future will be the city’s budget, and Beard’s experience with such issues could make him an asset.

“You can make a positive difference in your community if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and get involved,” he said.