Meet Julie Vandenboom Candidate for Lansing Charter Commission

Courtesy Photo-Julie Vandenboom Lansing City Charter Revision Commission Candidate.

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Lansing’s voters are quickly closing in on the May 7 election that will choose the City’s Charter Revision Commission. Lansing has been operating under the same charter since 1978 and will select a nine-member commission that will recommend changes that the voters will decide on.

Julie Vandenboom was the first candidate to file to run for the Charter Revision Commission in November.

“I jumped in right away,” Vandenboom said. “I’ve never wanted to run for anything before, but I have the skill set the commission needs. I’ve talked to many people in Lansing’s neighborhoods who feel unrepresented or under-represented when it comes to city government. I’ve thrived here in Lansing, and I want to make sure this is a city where others can thrive too.”

Vandenboom has lived in Greater Lansing since she was 8 years of age and moved to the Eastside of Lansing in the Turner Dodge neighborhood in the year 2000.

Since November, Vandenboom has reached out to the community to gather feedback and see what the most pressing issues for Lansing residents are. She regularly attends neighborhood meetings hosted by Southwest Action Group, Rejuvenating South Lansing, and the Eastside Neighborhood Organization. Non-profit agencies such as Cristo Rey Community Center, the Refugee Development Center, Northwest Initiative, and the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing are also a priority as Julie conducts outreach.

“I heard some of the same concerns everywhere I went,” said Vandenboom. “There are resources available in Lansing, but a lot of folks don’t know how or where to access them.”

Vandenboom works for the State of Michigan in the Department of Health and Human Services, where she is a 15-year veteran. She spent several years as a policy analyst before working in planning and evaluation and now as a program re-engineering specialist. Her work includes initiatives like behavioral economics and change readiness assessment, and she was the co-lead of the effort to create a statewide Anti-Racism Transformation Team for Michigan’s child support program.

Julie Vandenboom says “My top priority is involving the community in robust discussions about charter change - not just 3-minute public comment periods, but opportunities for back-and-forth with commissioners and others.

“My vision is a Lansing that is a city for all of us - not just for folks who live in the right neighborhoods or have the right connections.”

To find out more about Julie Vandenboom and her candidacy for Lansing Charter Commission visit www.julievandenboom.com or email vandenboomchartercommission@gmail.com