Lansing: The Garza Conflict, Spelled Out

LANSING, Mich. — Lansing Council Member Jeremy Garza earns $126,742 per year from the Michigan Pipe Trades Association (U.S. Department of Labor LM-2, DOL File 054-059, FY2024, Schedule 12), the statewide body that coordinates all 14 UA plumbing and pipefitting local unions in Michigan. His title is "Political Lead," and his own LinkedIn profile describes the role as "actively engages in shaping policies and legislation that benefit the plumbing & pipefitting industry and its workers." He is also Vice President of UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333, whose PAC gave his campaign $24,500. He votes on projects that send construction work to the pipe trades.

The Lansing City Charter says council members with conflicts of interest cannot vote. The Deep Green land sale requires six of eight votes. With Council Members Ryan Kost and Adam Hussain reported as no votes, losing Garza would leave a maximum of five, one short of the six required.

What the Charter Says

Three provisions of the Lansing City Charter define when a council member cannot vote.

Section 5-505.1(E) requires an affidavit from any city officer who may derive "any income or benefit, directly or indirectly" from any City action.

Section 5-505.3 says no elective officer "may participate in, vote upon or act upon any matter if a conflict exists."

Section 3-205.2 says no member shall vote on any question where they have "a conflict of interest or a financial interest other than as a citizen of the City."

Why Garza Has a Conflict

$126,742 from the pipe trades. Garza's salary from the Michigan Pipe Trades Association, confirmed by the association's LM-2 annual report (FY2024, Schedule 12), accounts for the large majority of his income. His part-time council salary is $28,147 and his Local 333 VP compensation is $552. The Charter requires an affidavit from any officer who may derive "any income or benefit, directly or indirectly" from a City action. A $126,742 salary for shaping policies that benefit the pipe trades, paid by the pipe trades, while voting on pipe trades projects as a council member, is not an indirect benefit. It is a paycheck.

The $24,500 is a financial interest. The Local 333 PAC gave Garza the largest single expenditure in the PAC's 28-year filing history. The PAC's revenue comes from member dues. The union's members benefit from construction projects the council approves. Garza's campaign depends on continued PAC support, which depends on his continued support of union-beneficial projects. That is a circular financial relationship, not a one-time gift.

His interest is not "as a citizen." Every Lansing resident has a citizen's interest in development. No other Lansing citizen is Vice President of the union that gets the contracts. The Charter's "other than as a citizen" language draws a line between general civic interest and specific organizational interest. Garza is on the organizational side of that line.

Precedent. In 2025, Council Member Tamera Carter recused twice from votes involving her sister-in-law's property, then reversed course and voted on the same property after City Attorney Gregory Venker said no conflict existed. An ethics expert consulted by WLNS disagreed. The City Clerk admitted he never forwarded Carter's recusal statements to the Board of Ethics as required by the Ethics Ordinance. Carter's own Statement of Financial Interests, filed March 27, 2025, did not disclose her sister-in-law's businesses. The system designed to catch conflicts failed on a family property vote. Garza's conflict involves a $126,742 salary from the industry whose projects he votes on.

Garza has actively used his council position to benefit his union. He presented the public hearing for Ordinance #1339, which added union-standard qualifications to the city's construction bidding code. He voted YEA on the 7-1 roll call and moved to give the ordinance immediate effect. Three officers of Local 333, including Business Manager Dustin Howard ($161,452 total compensation per the LM-2), organized testimony in support. He voted YEA on every development item in 52 council meetings without a single recusal. He said nothing about Deep Green at the March 23 meeting while his union's officers testified for it.

Michigan law covers this directly. The Conflicts of Interest Act (MCL 15.342) prohibits a public officer from participating in any matter where "any organization with which the public officer is associated has a financial or personal interest." Garza is not merely associated with Local 333. He holds the title of Vice President, an elected leadership position within the organization.

The union's interest is on the record. Derek Wright testified at the March 23 meeting: "I support the deep green primarily for jobs for my local brothers and sisters and myself. And then if there's going to be a 20-year maintenance contract, that will also provide money and payment and taxes from my local brothers and sisters." The union's LM-2 filing lists Wright as Inside Guard, an officer position. The union's financial interest in this project was stated by an officer, on the public record, at the same meeting where Garza was silent.

What Residents Can Do Before April 6

Request a Board of Ethics opinion. Under Charter Section 5-503.2, any person can request a formal opinion on whether Garza has a conflict. You do not need to be a Lansing resident. There is no form and no fee. Write a letter or email citing Sections 5-505.1(E), 5-505.3, and 3-205.2, and send it to City Clerk Chris Swope at city.clerk@lansingmi.gov or 124 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48933 (phone: 517-483-4131). Even if the Board cannot rule before April 6, the pending request is part of the public record.

Use public comment. The full Council meets April 6 and the Deep Green land sale and rezoning may be on the agenda. Any resident can speak during public comment. Read the Charter language into the record. Name the $24,500 from the Local 333 PAC. Name the 20-year maintenance contract that officer Derek Wright testified about on March 23. Name the 52 council meetings with zero recusals. Ask why no affidavit has been filed under Section 5-505.1(E). Once the facts are on the record, no council member can claim they did not know.

Ask a council member to raise the conflict on the floor. Under Section 3-205.2, any council member can raise the conflict question before the vote. The remaining members then decide whether the conflict exists. Email Council Member Ryan Kost at ryan.c.kost@lansingmi.gov or Adam Hussain at adam.hussain@lansingmi.gov, both of whom have raised concerns about the project. You can also email the full council: peter.spadafore@lansingmi.gov, trini.pehlivanoglu@lansingmi.gov, tamera.carter@lansingmi.gov, deyanira.n.martinez@lansingmi.gov, clara.martinez@lansingmi.gov.

If the vote proceeds with Garza, challenge it. Michigan's Conflicts of Interest Act (MCL 15.342) prohibits public officers from participating in any government action where an associated organization has a financial or personal interest. Any resident could cite this statute in a legal challenge. Any resident can also petition a court under Charter Section 2-302.3 to require a forfeiture hearing.

Challenge the rezoning separately. The rezoning (Z-3-2026) is a separate action from the land sale. Under MCL 125.3403, if 20% of landowners within 100 feet of the rezoned parcels file a protest petition, the rezoning requires a 75% supermajority instead of a simple majority. Because the rezoning is an ordinance, it is also subject to referendum under Charter Sections 2-402 through 2-404. A referendum requires 5% of registered voters (approximately 4,021 signatures) and suspends the ordinance until a public vote.

The Math

The land sale requires six votes under Charter Section 8-403.4. The threshold is calculated against the number of members elected (Section 3-205.1): eight. A recusal does not reduce the denominator. If Garza does not vote, seven members remain. WLNS reported that Council Members Ryan Kost and Adam Hussain would vote no. That leaves a maximum of five yes votes, one short of the six required.

The Charter says "directly or indirectly." It says "if a conflict exists." It says "other than as a citizen." Michigan law says "any organization with which the public officer is associated." Should a union Vice President vote on a project that sends construction work and a 20-year maintenance contract to his union's members?