Betz ousts Washington in 1st Ward; Wood, Spitzley keep at-large seats on Lansing City Council

LANSING — A new face will be joining some familiar ones on Lansing City Council in January as challenger Brandon Betz defeated incumbent Jody Washington in the 1st Ward. 

Betz, an economist, unseated Washington, a legal specialist for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

He had 1,861 votes to Washington's 1,547, according to unofficial results posted Tuesday night with 100% of precincts reporting.

The race to represent northeast Lansing became contentious in the weeks leading up to the election.

Betz cast Washington as the product of big-money interests and described himself as a more progressive alternative.

He's advocated a more permissive approach to recreational marijuana businesses and has criticized Washington for green-lighting "tax breaks" for developers.

Washington, who received endorsements from most of the area's labor unions as well as business groups including the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, emphasized her long-standing connections to the city, noting that Betz moved to Lansing two years ago.

The race between Betz, who is 28, and Washington, 63, also took on generational overtones.

"I WILL keep fighting for EVERY person in the 1st Ward — not just the 'cool' residents under 40, some of whom hate me because I support reasonable regulations on marijuana," one of Washington's campaign flyers read.

Incumbents take at-large seats

Meanwhile, voters citywide re-elected Carol Wood and Patricia Spitzley as at-large representatives.

Wood, who serves as council's 2019 president, took the lead with 7,378 votes, an unofficial tally showed.

During the campaign, she touted a reputation for constituent services and responsiveness to residents.

The five-term incumbent has distinguished herself as one of Lansing's more conservative council members in her approach to marijuana businesses.

Wood, council's 2019 president, previously advocated baring recreational marijuana businesses from the city, but agreed to approve council's rules for the facilities to ensure some regulations would be in place.

Spitzley, an attorney, earned another term on the council with 6,646 votes, according to a tally posted late Tuesday.

Spitzley works for RACER Trust, an organization that redevelops former General Motors properties. She approached marijuana businesses with moderation, arguing they should be allowed in the city with certain limits, including a cap of no more than 28 retailers.

Like Wood, Spitzley nabbed endorsements from establishment groups including labor unions and the local chamber of commerce.

Yanice Jackson-Long, an account clerk for the Ingham County Treasurer's Office, and Julee Rodocker, a buyer for Consumers Energy, were knocked out of the at-large race with fewer than 5,000 votes each, according to an unofficial tally.

In the city's 3rd Ward, incumbent Adam Hussain, who is Washington's son, ran unopposed to continue representing southwest Lansing. Hussain is a middle school teacher for Waverly Community Schools.

City elections in Lansing are nonpartisan. Newly-elected council members will serve four-year terms beginning in 2020.

Election results will be unofficial until they are certified by the county's Board of Canvassers.

More local news:

Lansing council candidates raise over $100K before Nov. election

Lansing City Council debate gets heated over social equity and marijuana businesses

Contact reporter Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.

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