After recently announcing his re-election campaign for East Lansing City Council, MSU alumnus Nathan Triplett reflected on his experiences at MSU and in East Lansing and the major accomplishments of his first term as mayor in an interview with The State News.
Nathan Triplett first graduated from MSU in 2006, majoring in political theory and constitutional democracy and social relations and policy.
In 2007, Triplett was elected to the East Lansing City Council. He was also pursuing a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.
He then graduated from the MSU College of Law in 2012 with a degree of Juris Doctor and was serving as mayor of East Lansing just one year later.
When he was elected in 2013, Triplett became the youngest mayor in the city’s history at 30 years old.
Though Triplett hopes to land his re-election, the question of being mayor for another term is not on his mind, he said.
“Right now I am entirely focused on the city council race,” Triplett said. “I have enjoyed my time serving as mayor, but my priority is earning the voters’ support for another four years on City Council.”
Building a welcoming community for people of all backgrounds and lifestyles is one of Triplett’s priorities. He said he has been a lifelong champion for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.
While in office, East Lansing achieved a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, the only community in Michigan to do so and one of only 38 in the United States.
“I am all about creating an open space where everyone is welcome and appreciated,” Triplett said. “Whether they are visiting faculty, an international student or someone who identifies as LGBT, they should feel safe and at home.”
Triplett also lauded a policy he crafted to ensure the partners of East Lansing city employees had access to equal benefits.
“I see these core values as a reflection of who we are as a community,” Triplett said regarding the efforts to end discrimination. “The city isn’t driving that, it’s our residents who believe in this environment of welcome and value inclusion.”
During his time as mayor, Triplett said he and the rest of the city council have benefited from the support of East Lansing residents and worked to improve their daily lives.
“Looking back at my almost eight years on city council, a lot of the challenges we have faced have been pretty bread-and-butter,” Triplett said.
Triplett said East Lansing’s debt is down, the fund balance is up and the city earned a AAA credit rating.
Throughout the seven years he has served on East Lansing’s City Council, Triplett said he believes the city has benefited and is in a strong position moving forward. Maintaining that position will require the same amount of discipline on financial issues, he said.
The city council will vote to elect a mayor and mayor pro tem after the new city council members are appointed in the fall. Triplett’s campaign for re-election kicks off Thursday evening with an event at Beggars Banquet.
