LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE LANSING AREA VOTER GUIDE
CANDIDATES FOR THE LANSING PRIMARY ELECTION
The
League of Women Voters is a national nonpartisan organization
established to encourage citizen participation in government. It never
supports or opposes any political party or candidate. The League of
Women Voters does support or oppose governmental action on issues after
careful study, without regard to the stand of any political
party. This guide was prepared with the help of League members,
students and members of the community interested in the issues. The
personal statement is limited to forty-five (45) words or fewer. The
response to each question is limited to thirty-five (35) words. The
answers are printed as submitted and have not been edited.
LANSING
— The city attorney, Brigham Smith, said Friday that the city
government is in the process of disabling access to the websites of any
candidate for city offices. Smith said the move was in response to a
complaint earlier in the week from Rina Risper, an at-large candidate
for the city council.
Risper, who is the editor and publisher of the biweekly newspaper
The New Citizen’s Press, wrote Smith to complain that supporters in
city hall had told her they could not access her website from
city-owned computers.
Smith said the problem was with the IP address of the servers Risper’s campaign was using.
“She had an IP address that had been blocked some time ago because
it was kicking out malware that would impact our servers,” Smith
explained.
In order to remedy the situation, Smith said the city of Lansing is
now going through and blocking the websites of all local candidates for
office. He said his office had not considered the issue of social
networking sites and whether to block those as well, since several
candidates are using Facebook groups as part of their campaign
strategies. Smith was unsure how long it would take to block all the
websites.
March 14, 2009 Rina Risper Announces Run for City Council At-Large
Rina's Kickoff Speech
Saturday, March 14, 2009 at Sir Pizza Cafe
Thank you all for being here today. With a humble heart I
ask you to support my candidacy for Lansing City Council at Large. I wear green
today to signify my commitment to the growth and sustainability of the city
that I love. Being a 20 year resident, I have seen the sorrow and the pain and
the happiness and the healing.
Today I ask you for your endorsement. We are all community
activists and urban missionaries. We are the people who are working two jobs.
We are the people who are taking care of our grandchildren so that their
parents can go back to school. We are the elderly and the youth who need
transportation to move from one place to another.
We are the union workers who have given their blood, sweat
and tears building this city. We are the UAW who build the finest cars in
world. We are the disabled who need help during every snow storm. We are the
lifetime residents of Lansing who saw the construction of 496. We are former
students and students who moved here to pursue a higher education. We are the
immigrants who see Lansing as their first stop in America.
We are the displaced workers who thought that 15 years on a
job was stable who now has to learn how to navigate the internet to look for a
job. We are one in solidarity as these issues begin to affect us and the people
we know.
In the Milken Institute Report the city of Lansing ranks 198
out of 200. The Milken Institute is an independent economic think tank whose
mission is to improve the lives and economic conditions of the people in the
U.S. and around the world. We need to change this.
We have to work to figure out what our common strengths are
instead of our weaknesses. We have to work together to establish a common bond
and discover a new way of living. Start by greeting your neighbors more. I have
already begun to connect communities to businesses who want to make sure that
our city is successful
We have to stand together in solidarity and move all of
Lansing forward. The North, East, West and South. We need to support our local
businesses as much as we can both union and non-union small businesses need our
help as they are trying to stay afloat during these difficult economic times
Be progressive, I need your input to develop effective
strategies to build and gain power in your communities and your neighborhood,
weather you want to combat foreclosures, drug dealing, the lack of neighborhood
participation. WE need a neighborhood stimulus package that is all about the
people.
I am running because I am passionate about Lansing and its
abilities. I am passionate about shaping the future of our city so that our youth
will want to remain. I am passionate about creating a city that has the ability
to attract new residents. I am passionate about engaging our communities with
cultural activities, art and music. We have to talk about the possibilities of
projects, like Heritage Park. We need to start addressing the social dynamic of
our communities. If we dont address what you want for the future and begin to
build capacity now we run the risk of stagnant growth in the city.
I will run a clean productive race and my phone is open to
anyone who has specific questions about who I am and what I stand for.
Let me end by saying, this is a new generation. A new
family. I want to inspire a vision of one cohesive Lansing. Today we find
ourselves at an incredible place, we are responsible for the success of our
city. We are in this together.
