When Don Power vacated his seat on council on Aug. 22, newly appointed East Lansing City councilmember Kathleen Boyle saw it as her opportunity to escalate her already-prominent involvement with the city of East Lansing.
“The opening occurred, and a friend and neighbor of mine said I should consider applying, and after talking to her, I decided to submit my application,” Boyle said. “My goal is to work with other members of council to make decisions in the best interest of the city.”
Boyle will go through her first official meeting as a member of council at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Prior to being unanimously appointed by council members at last Tuesday’s meeting, Boyle had extensive involvement with city neighborhood groups, such as the East Lansing Housing Commission and the Red Cedar Neighborhood Association, where she has served for more than a decade; groups that deal heavily with student-related issues that are often brought before council.
Her involvement in these groups also allows her to shed light on parts of East Lansing that might have otherwise gone unnoticed by council, she said.
The Red Cedar Neighborhood — located near the intersection of Harrison and Trowbridge roads — is home to graduate student housing, including Spartan Village Apartments, and many other permanent residencies.
“East Lansing is made up of a number of different neighborhoods. Each has special quirks and character,” Boyle said. “(Right) now we don’t have someone from Red Cedar Neighborhood on council, I hope to bring perspective of that part of town south of Grand River (Avenue) … (And remind) people the only commercial area in East Lansing isn’t just along Grand River.”
Kevin O’Brien, the Community Relations Coalition, or CRC, intern who has been paired with Boyle to help improve student and resident relations and plan community events, said he hopes to work with the new council member to further the neighborhood’s atmosphere.
“I’ve gotten great feedback about how passionate she is, with the same level of desire to increase morale in the neighborhood (as myself)” the social relations and policy senior said. “From the student standpoint, I’d like to begin a more direct relationship between (students and residents) … We’re hoping to build some prosperous community relations.”
Boyle said her close work with the CRC will come into play strongly in her role on council, including focusing on student-community relationships.
“We all live here. It’s important for students to feel like a part of our city, too,” Boyle said.
Boyle said her work as an attorney at White, Schneider, Young & Chiodini, P.C. hopefully will bring another facet of understanding to her new title.
Current Mayor Diane Goddeeris stepped into a vacant council seat in 2006, and said the transition involves hard work.
“She has lived in East Lansing, but now she has to look from the internal side of East Lansing, and she’ll have to learn more about the departments and developments, and invest a lot of time in understanding,” Goddeeris said. “She’ll have to do her homework on the history of those.”
The feedback
Mayor Diane Goddeeris’ thoughts on Kathleen Boyle: “I’m looking forward to working with her. She’s been involved in the community for awhile, she brings a legal background to council and the perspective of two different neighborhoods, which is helpful.”
Goddeeris’ thoughts on the challenges Boyle faces on council: “I think the challenge for her, is she has to jump right into the decision-making and has no gap to get understanding. It’s difficult to jump right in. It can be overwhelming, but we’ve all been reaching out to help her. “
Mayor Pro Tem Nathan Triplett’s thoughts on Kathleen Boyle: “I think Kathleen has a combination of extensive community experience and a forward-looking vision for East Lansing … She recognizes it’s the council’s goal to look at the whole community.”
Triplett’s thoughts on the challenges Boyle faces on council: “Ensuring the city is providing smart and sustainable development properties is an issue she will be involved with. The single most pressing issue is the city’s budget and putting the city on a sustainable financial path for the future.”
The issues
*St. Anne Lofts: *
This” development project taking place on the Ann Street Plaza”:http://statenews.com/index.php/article/2012/09/st-_anne_lofts_awaits_permanent_certificate in downtown East Lansing has been plagued with controversy since the start of its construction last October.
The fourth floor of the structure collapsed in June, and a fifth floor was added without proper authorization from the city in July. Just months later, a cross like design feature was added to the front of the structure.
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At last Tuesday’s council meeting, Director of Planning and Community Development Tim Dempsey said the city still is working with engineering group C2AE to go over the remaining outstanding issues with the building before issuing a permanent certification of occupancy.
What Boyle thinks:
“I really don’t have an opinion or answer. The city attorney has issued opinions regarding the design feature of the cross, but I haven’t been part of the decision-making,” Boyle said. “As far as the perspective of a council member, there should be an issue before you, and I don’t feel like there’s an issue about the cross. … We need to listen to the people and make a decision (about the project).”
City Center II:
The $105 million mixed-use development project was proposed for the western end of Grand River Avenue.
The project fell through after the city council deemed it financially infeasible this past June, and project developer Strathmore Development Co. pulled their involvement with the project.
Since the project failed, residents have posed questions regarding what the city will choose to do with the project.
What Boyle thinks:
“The city’s approach is to solicit the input of residents and neighbors, particularly what should happen on the western edge,” Boyle said. “It’s going to be a long process.”
