3 candidates vie for 2 open seats on E.L. City Council

Three contenders — including two current members of the East Lansing City Council — have declared candidacy for two open seats this fall.

Loomis

Beard

Mayor Vic Loomis and Councilmember Kevin Beard both are seeking re-election and are joined by East Lansing resident Hans Larsen in running for the two seats.

The deadline to declare candidacy for the Nov. 3 election was Aug. 11.

The election will mark Loomis’ third and Beard’s second. Newcomer Larsen could not be reached for comment.

Beard already has begun campaigning, using both traditional and new methods to reach East Lansing residents. He has set up a Web site and a Facebook group to promote his campaign.

“These are new frontiers,” he said.

“I may not be very sophisticated at it, but it’s another way for people to know what I stand for.”

Loomis also is on the campaign trail. He said he hopes to continue promoting community outreach and maintaining a strong connection with MSU.

“There is a number of initiatives that (the City Council has) been involved in and I think there is still some important work to be done,” Loomis said.

A key issue for both incumbents is communication with constituents, including full-time residents and students.

“We have relationships and connections at a multitude of levels,” Beard said. “We have a number of connections where we discuss relations, problems, solutions. We need to not only nurture the existing relationship but help nurture new ones, as well.”

ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, is planning a forum for students to get to know the candidates and their policies, but no date has been set. Members of ASMSU work closely with the city to maintain a positive relationship, said Emily Serkaian, government affairs student liaison for ASMSU.

“They’re definitely very open and very approachable,” she said. “They want to interact with ASMSU and students.”

Serkaian said ASMSU hopes to get students more involved in the election process.

“I would recommend researching the issues and taking any opportunities to listen to the City Council members,” she said.