Wood to leave Lansing City Council in 2024

MONDAY, Jan. 6 — After a brief swearing-in ceremony, newly reelected at-large Lansing City Councilwoman Carol Wood announced tonight that she will not seek re-election in 2023.

Wood, 68, is the longest currently serving member of the Council (now in her sixth term) and garnered the most support during November’s general election with 7,458 votes to secure another four-year, at-large term on the Council deis. At-large Councilwoman Patricia Spitzley, by comparison, came in second place with 6,709 votes.

“We have the next four years to finish up what we’ve done for the last 20 years,” Wood said earlier this evening.

Wood, since being elected in 1999, served in her first term as Council vice president in 2002 and president in 2003, 2013, 2018 and again in 2019. She has also chaired every Council committee over the years. Additionally, Wood is expected to vacate the presidency this year and hand the gavel to at-large Councilman Peter Spadafore.

Wood ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2009. She owns and operates her own neighborhood-oriented consulting firm and serves as executive director for RSVP of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties, a volunteer-based retirees program. In recent months, Wood has repeatedly declined to speak with reporters at City Pulse.