Commissioner Update #4
This past month was full of important meetings and community events, and I want to share some highlights with you.
Meetings & Committee Work
In August, I participated in several key meetings as your County Commissioner, including:
Board Leadership Meeting
Law & Courts Committee (and Budget Hearing)
County Services Committee (and Budget Hearing)
Racial Equity Taskforce
Full Board Meeting in Mason
At our Law & Courts Committee meeting, we interviewed a candidate for the Community Corrections Board—the General Manager of Shaheen Chevrolet. He was unanimously recommended to move forward for full board approval.
We also heard from the Ingham County Animal Control & Shelter team, who are beginning to offer spay and neuter services for community members who adopt dogs through the shelter.
That same week, I visited the shelter myself and adopted my very first dog—a one-year-old brown toy poodle named Mulan. For just $25, Animal Control provided her shots, spay procedure, food, medicine, and even ongoing veterinary support. Their team went above and beyond, and I can confidently say this level of care is their standard practice, not an exception.
The rest of our meetings this month were fairly routine, though we did hear from a few community members during public comment at the full board meeting.
South Lansing Community BBQ
At the end of August, I co-hosted a South Lansing BBQ at Hawk Island alongside Todd Tennis, Kara Hope, and Sarah Anthony. Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy good food, music, and community. I also want to recognize the organizations and volunteers who donated their time and resources to make the event possible.
Holmes/Pleasant Grove Project
I’m excited to share updates on a major development in our district:
30 new apartments
Local businesses & a café
A credit union
A community center
A public plaza for events
A memorial honoring Malcolm X and his ties to our neighborhood
This project is a huge step forward for our community. You can learn more here:
FOX 47 News Segment: Watch here
Lansing State Journal Article: Developer proposes new housing on site of former Pleasant Grove School
We also held a public meeting on August 21st at Tabernacle of David Church to discuss the project with residents.
Looking Ahead
Here are some upcoming dates to keep in mind:
Law & Courts Committee Meeting
📍 Health & Human Services Building (5303 S Cedar St)
📅 September 11th at 6:00 PM
Topic: Youth Center feasibility studyAdam Hussain’s Constituency Meeting
📍 Alfreda Schmidt Community Center (Harry Hill)
📅 September 13th at 10:00am
I’ll be attending to discuss the Youth Center study further.Michigan Heritage Rodeo
📍 MSU Pavilion
📅 September 19–20
For tickets and details, visit michiganheritagerodeo.com.
Want to volunteer? Sign up here.
Also, don’t miss the newly announced Lansing Growth Fund—check out SWAG’s Facebook page for more details.
Thank you for taking the time to read this month’s update. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
📩 Contact me: mjohnson@ingham.org
The Animal Control Director showed me a photo of this adorable dog that was available at the shelter, and I just HAD TO have her. It was a brown toy poodle. I couldn't resist and literally drove out to Mason the next day to claim my FIRST dog. Her name is Mulan and she is about a year old. For $25 she will have received all of her shots, been spayed/neutered, we have a hotline where we can ask the vets on staff any questions about our dog, and when we recently had a tapeworm scare they took care of it for us literally the next day. Phenomenal service from our amazing Animal Control team. This is the STANDARD. They were just doing that because I am Commissioner. They have everything laid out on their what I like to call SOP (standard of procedures) which they turned into a handout. EVERYTHING to know about your dog after you pick them up. They even sent her home with medicine, and food. The rest of the meetings were pretty standard. We had a couple speak during public comment at the full board meeting and that was all.
In late August we hosted a South Lansing BBQ with Todd Tennis, Kara Hope, and Sarah Anthony at Hawk Island. This was an amazing experience and we have some nice photos to share from that. I'd like to thank the organizations and people who just came out to have a good time and eat some food. Also a quick shoutout to the people who helped us put on the event, donated the services, and/or time to make it a successful event.
The Holmes/Pleasant Grove Project:
30 new apartments, local businesses, a café, a credit union, a community center, a public plaza for events, and even a memorial honoring Malcolm X and his ties to our neighborhood.
There was a TV segment about the project and news coverage from LSJ that I found that you can look into below. The project is in my district.
FOX 47 Segment: https://youtu.be/Owc5coCeKkg?si=M76IIlYNssUWNy-y
Lansing State Journal: Developer proposes new housing on site of former Pleasant Grove School
There was a meeting about the project:
Thursday, August 21, 2025
6:00–7:30 PM
Tabernacle of David Church — 2645 W. Holmes Rd.
Overall August was a great month and thank you for reading/watching this months Commissioner Update!
Things to look out for:
Can’t forget to mention the newly announced Lansing Growth Fund!
Check out this facebook post from SWAG.
We are having a Law and Courts Committee Meeting on September 11th at the Health and Human Services Building (5303 S Cedar St) at 6pm. This meeting will be about going over the Youth Center and the feasibility study that the County did on it for a new location. Please join us at the meeting if you would like to hear about it. Furthermore Adam Hussain is having his Constituency Meeting on September 13th. You should go to his meeting period but I will be at that meeting to talk more about it. We are that much closer to the Michigan Heritage Rodeo. If you are not familiar with this event please visit michiganheritagerodeo.com for more information. This will be held at the MSU Pavilion on September 19th and 20th. If you are interested in volunteering for the rodeo, you can sign up here: https://forms.gle/txLoDVELCNunKf1a6.
If you have any questions about this update or about the county please email me at mjohnson@ingham.org.
