LANSING, Mich. — After 16 years on Lansing’s City Council, Kathie Dunbar has announced that she’s running for mayor.
She said her track record of building connections has prepared her most for the position.
“I have this network of resources that I can bring on when it comes to community decision making,” said Dunbar, who has led the South Lansing Community Development Association for nearly 20 years. “ I am able to work with City Hall and with the community in ways that I think most other people who enter that office can’t.”
Dunbar is running against Councilwoman Patricia Spitzley, Mayor Andy Schor and Larry Hutchison Jr.
Dunbar made her announcement on Facebook Sunday afternoon. The post came as former mayor Virg Bernero, who is dealing with sexual harassment allegations, announced that he was dropping out of the race.
“I think it was the right thing for him to do,” Dunbar said. “I think the amount of evidence of allegations and his flip-flopping on the accountability issue wasn’t playing well.
If elected, Dunbar will be the first woman to be Lansing’s mayor and and she says she hopes to push fiscal responsibility and citizen-driven development and to address issues such as homelessness and gun violence, noting that it impacts Black and brown youth disproportionately
“We have got to do something to get folks off the streets and get folks engaged in job training and recreational opportunities,” she said.
While her campaign is still at the beginning stages, Dunbar said she’s looking forward to providing the people of Lansing with a leader who will prioritize their needs and wants.
“I have the resources, I have the skills, and I have the shoes to walk all summer long to make this happen,” she said.
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