By Farhan Omar
On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Lansing, Michigan voters will be asked to approve a new City Charter — the document that defines how our city operates. I will be voting NO, and I urge every resident who values transparency, fairness, and real accountability to do the same. When voters called for a charter review, it was out of frustration. People were tired of a city government that doesn’t listen. They wanted openness, fairness, and a system that puts residents first — not one that keeps power in the same hands. The proposal before us fails to meet that goal.
First, one of the clearest examples of that failure is the Lansing Board of Water and Light (LBWL). Over the past year, the LBWL has raised rates again, without meaningful community input or clear explanation. These rate hikes come at a time when many Lansing residents are already struggling to make ends meet. Seniors on fixed incomes are being stretched thinner every month. Families living paycheck to paycheck are forced to make impossible choices between paying their utility bills and other basic needs. These rates come at a time when the federal government is shut down, and there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding food and essential services. The BWL is supposed to be a public utility, owned by the people of Lansing. Yet decisions about rates and operations are made with little transparency or public participation. The Charter Commission had an opportunity to require greater transparency and community involvement in rate decisions, but it did not. Instead, residents will continue to face rate increases without meaningful input, while the system that allows this to happen remains unchanged.
Secondly, the Charter Commission was tasked with returning power to neighborhoods and expanding City Council so every corner of Lansing could have a real voice. Instead, it refused to eliminate At-Large seats, which favor wealthy citywide candidates backed by special interest groups over grassroots leaders. By maintaining this system, the very neighborhoods the reform was meant to uplift will continue to be overshadowed and silenced by special interest groups.
Unchecked mayoral authority over boards and commissions is another issue. That power allows dissenting voices to be punished and political allies rewarded. I know this firsthand. As a member of the Board of Police Commissioners, I spoke publicly about the truth: gun violence in Lansing was not actually down. For telling the public the truth, Mayor Schor is attempting to remove me — not because I broke any law, but because I refused to echo a political talking point. To this day, he continues to block my reappointment. That’s what unchecked power looks like. It’s what happens when a single elected official can punish those who speak honestly and silence community voices that challenge the narrative. The charter commission could have fixed this by limiting the mayor’s appointment power or requiring shared approval with City Council. Instead, it left that system intact.
Last, I think the most concerning aspect of this is the charter review cycle has been extended from 12 years to 16. That’s nearly a generation before Lansing voters can hold their government accountable again. Sixteen years of the same system, the same insiders in power, and the same community voices ignored. I truly believe it’s a nail in the coffin for meaningful change.
We voted for change, not comfort. We wanted a commission that would challenge the system, not protect it. Lansing deserves better — a government that listens, that shares power, that belongs to all of us. Please join me in voting NO on the City Charter!
Farhan Omar is a community advocate and lives in Lansing, MI.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of this publication.
