Lansing City Council member
Lansing City Council member Carol Wood has been a member of the community and involved in neighborhood issues long before being elected. Wood served her first term as Vice President in 2002, and President of Council in 2003. She has sat on every Council Committee and chaired a number of them, including Public Safety, General Services, Personnel, Public Service and Ways and Means. Wood first ran for office in 1997 narrowly losing to the 4th Ward Council member, Michael Murphy. After encouragement both from the community and other elected officials, including Council member Murphy, Wood ran in 1999 for the At-Large seat. She was elected to Council in November of 1999, winning a second term on November 4, 2003. In 2007 Wood’s assignments include Chair of Way & Means; Vice Chair of General Services; member of the Employee Retirement Systems and the Police & Fire Retirement Boards; member of the Tri-County Planning Commission; Exofficio member of the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitor Bureau; and Exofficio member of Lansing Community Micro Enterprise Fund.
Wood grew up in the Lansing area, graduating from J. W. Sexton in 1968. After graduating, Wood moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where she worked for the State of Alaska Public School Library Davison, and started her family. In 1972 Wood and her family moved back to Lansing, and 1989 she moved back on the very block she grew up on, right next door to her family home.
Wood became very active in neighborhood issues working side by side with her mother Ruth Hallman, to make a difference in the community. That difference included changes to the Housing Code, to helping to implement team policing with the Lansing Police Department. The Neighborhood Watch # 120 and Genesee Neighborhood Association have 400 housing units within its boundaries. In 1988 out of the 400 there was documentation with the Lansing Police Department that 137 were involved with drug activity. Today, there are less than 6 properties with the same distinction. This was an effort of neighbors, Community Police Officers, and Code Compliance Officers, along with Greater Lansing Housing Coalition, which turned rental back into home ownership for, low to moderate-income people.
Wood continues to serve on different Boards and Commissions, and in her spare time Wood has started a business “CEW Consultant”. Wood has used her knowledge in working with MSU Criminal School of Justice to LCC Dental Program; she is also a proud grandmother, and mother of two sons.
