

LANSING — Some capital area leaders and voters are optimistic a state government led by Gretchen Whitmer, a longtime resident and representative of the region who on Tuesday was elected Michigan's next governor, will be a boon for their communities.

Her residence in East Lansing may have been a boon for her, too, when it came to winning over city voters.

Many East Lansing voters interviewed Tuesday cited Whitmer's involvement with public schools, her neighbors and Michigan State University students as reasons they voted to put her in the state's highest office.

While some cautioned that she shouldn't play favorites when it comes to her hometown, local government officials said her knowledge of the capital region might increase their chances in nabbing economic investment.

Whitmer has deep ties to East Lansing. She boasted about them on her campaign website biography, listing it as one of the two Michigan cities in which she spent her childhood. She lived in East Lansing when she attended Michigan State University and now lives in the city with her family.

The connections are not just personal. Professionally, Whitmer represented the region in the House of Representatives from 2000 to 2006,and in the Senate from 2006 to 2014. She served four years as the senate minority leader.

In 2016, she was tapped to replace former Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III for six months until a newly elected prosecutor could take over.

Whitmer's experience in East Lansing, home to MSU and most of its attendees, means she understands issues that affect students, said Alex Johann, an MSU economics graduate student.

Johann, an auxiliary member of the Graduate Employee's Union, said he's optimistic Whitmer would stand against a policy signed into law in 2012 that declared graduate student research assistants are not employees, preventing them from joining a union.

"I think her experience coming from a student area definitely does impact her decision on that issue," he said.

Other East Lansing voters were less sure Whitmer's East Lansing roots will affect the city, or should.

"I don't think it would matter," Mike Petersmark said. "We'd be small picture in the big picture. I don't think there is anything we would get out of it, which is fine because I don't think there's anything we need out of it."

Local government leaders pointed to possible state investment they might be able to receive with a governor who calls the area home.

East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows, who counts Whitmer as a friend, said her understanding of the area could mean the city has better chances in getting state government investment for local projects.

He cited Michigan State University's Facility for Rare Isotopic Beams, a federally funded nuclear research center more than a decade in the making, as an example of a local institution worthy of state support.

The facility will allow engineers and physicists to study rare isotopes. Although it has national significance as a federally sponsored research facility and will draw scientists from across the globe to East Lansing, Meadows said the region has yet to catch up with developing the business infrastructure to support it.

"We need to find the tools to have those [businesses] locate close by to utilize this facility," he said. "I think Gretchen [Whitmer] recognizes that, and that would be one of those things that is completely unique to our region."

The impact of a Whitmer win won't just be local, Meadows said. He is optimistic Whitmer will address the issues faced in communities across Michigan, such as education funding, road funding and health care.

Meadows said Whitmer's time on the House Appropriations Committee means she understands how local governments rely on state money, and, in his opinion, don't get enough.

"Our share of that [appropriations] has continuously gone down as the state pushed that money in other directions," Meadows said. "I'm not criticizing some of the programs they chose to fund, but I think Gretchen [Whitmer] is more likely to understand that you can't under-fund cities."

Regardless of party or politics, the relationship between state government and Lansing city officials is a strong one, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said. He said he has good relationships with both Whitmer and her Republican opponent Bill Schuette.

"In the political game and in government, relationships are everything," Schor said. "Being able to pick up the phone right now and talk to the governor's chief of staff and get in with the governor when I need to, or talk to any department director, I do think that's important."

Schor also cited state investment in city projects — such as the Meijer market and hotel project planned for East Michigan Avenue, which could draw funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. — as a reason it's important for city officials to develop relationships with state leaders.

"We have a few other things we're talking to the state about," Schor said. "We have some parking ideas. They have a lot of state [parking] lots, and we'd love to work with them to utilize them. We could see some fairs and things like that on weekends in the summer. It's their property, but it's in the heart of the city."

Joan Jackson Johnson, Director of Lansing's Human Relations and Community Services department, said she hopes a Whitmer win wouldmean better policies for the area's low-income residents.

Lansing is the hub of homelessness in the capital region, and state policy affects access to housing and other vital things like food security and utilities, she said. Politicians don't always look at the implications their decisions will have on the entire community.

"I hope she begins to evaluate some of the policies that impact the poor," Johnson said.

Regardless of their hometown, Schor said Lansing-area residents are quick to adopt elected state leaders and expect those leaders to do the same. Outgoing Gov. Rick Snyder didn't quite follow through, Schor said — Snyder eschewed the governor's residence in favor of his Ann Arbor-area home.

"I think people felt slighted when Snyder decided not to live in the house," Schor said. "They don't vote based on where the [candidate] lives, but they do expect the governor to live here."

Contact Carol Thompson at (517) 377-1018 or ckthompson@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @thompsoncarolk. Support our journalism and become a digital subscriber today. Click here for our special offers.