As we move through winter, Local Progress Michigan members continue to show what bold, people-centered local leadership looks like. Across the state, our members are stepping up to protect their communities, assert local power, and advance policies that put people over profit. This quarter, we are excited to share updates on major wins and active fights around data centers, immigrant protections, and community safety, along with ways to plug deeper into this work.
⚡ LPMI Members Leading on Data Center Accountability
Communities across Michigan are facing a surge in AI data center proposals that demand large amounts of land, energy, and water. Residents and local leaders are working to ensure that development does not compromise safe air, clean water, or reliable power. Local Progress Michigan members are leading these efforts. In Pontiac, Mayor Mike McGuiness and Councilmember Mikal Goodman are implementing a moratorium and evaluating development proposals to protect community interests. In Saginaw, Councilmember Carly Hammond is taking similar steps, using moratoriums to shape responsible development. In Lansing, Councilmember Clara Martinez is leading a fight to ensure data center development is transparent, accountable, and aligned with community priorities.
Our partners at AI Now Institute have just released the North Star Data Center Policy Toolkit, which outlines strong local and state-level interventions for evaluating data center proposals, demanding transparency, and safeguarding communities from buildout. Members in Pontiac, Saginaw, and Lansing are using this toolkit to collaborate with local community members and are at the forefront of building a broader, coordinated statewide strategy.
The city-owned parking lot in Lansing where the UK company Deep Green hopes to build a data center.
🧊 Advancing Immigrant Justice and ICE-Free Zones
Federal immigration enforcement has become more aggressive and dangerous, with multiple deaths in custody and fatal shootings by Federal agents nationally. Local Progress Michigan members are stepping up to protect immigrant communities and advance local solutions. If you’re interested in passing similar legislation, check out our No Secret Police Policy Toolkit.
In Washtenaw County, ICE‑Free Zones have set a strong example, barring ICE from county property and limiting local cooperation to protect immigrant residents. In Detroit, City Council Member and LP National Board Co-Chair Gabriela Santiago‑Romero is exploring ways to protect the legal and constitutional rights of residents on city property, as well as in sensitive areas such as schools, hospitals, and community spaces, advancing local solutions as federal enforcement grows more aggressive, and building on her ongoing work with immigrant communities and “Know Your Rights” trainings.
Communities like Ypsilanti and Bay City are watching these efforts closely and preparing to act quickly in their own cities, offering hope that local leadership and coordinated action can safeguard immigrant residents across Michigan. These efforts put Local Progress Michigan members at the forefront of defending safety, dignity, and trust in their communities.
✊ Ready to Fight State Preemption? Start Here!
We are partnering with SEIU’s Michigan Home Rule to host a four-part webinar series designed for members who want to get activated around statewide preemption fights and reclaim local power in Michigan. If you want to regain the authority to move locally on issues like housing and wages, this series is for you.
Designed for candidates, elected officials, and organizers, the training offers practical tools to understand and challenge the limits state law places on local leadership, with sessions focused on development, affordable housing, funding local agendas, and emergency management.
Two cohorts are available:
- Group 1: March and April 2026, Thursdays, 5:30–7:00 PM
- Group 2: April and May 2026, Saturdays, 10:00–11:30 AM
Before the cohort kicks off, you can also listen to LPMI members Amber Fellows and Desiraé Simmons talk about preemption on LP’s very own podcast, the “Preemption Download”!
📜 Introduce a Resolution to Demand: ICE OUT!
Congress has until February 13th to reach an agreement on how and whether to fund DHS, including ICE and Border Patrol. As local elected officials, we must use our power and our voices to turn the pressure up and together say: ICE OUT.
Local Progress members have been calling on Congress to use the power of the purse to stop ICE. Last week, Local Progress member Teresa Mosqueda (King County, WA) introduced and passed a first-of-its-kind resolution calling for funding restrictions and regulations for DHS. We are following her lead and organizing members like you across the country to pass resolutions of your own. We’ve created sample resolutions for cities, counties, and school boards to give you a head start. Will you join our organized force to protect our communities and stop ICE and DHS from wreaking more havoc?
This funding impasse gives us a chance to restrain their barbaric tactics. The resolution calls on Congress to:
- End enforcement surges in places like Minneapolis;
- Prohibit masks and end racial targeting and targeting of daycares and schools;
- Place strong guardrails on ICE including requiring judicial warrants and allowing localities to investigate misconduct;
- End detention center abuses and restore people’s access to bond hearings; and
- Make deep cuts to the $170 billion dollars given to DHS in last year’s funding legislation.
➡️ From Campaigns to Governance: A Partner’s Guide to Building Our Base Together
Do you know someone who won last November? With nearly 1,800 members, Local Progress continues to be the best place for values-aligned local elected officials to be in community with one another. As one member shared in our survey last year, “The support and friendship I have built over the years are what keep me going!” With your help, we can identify new members to join the network and have the community you have come to cherish. Check out our partner’s guide.
🏠Housing Work Group
Local Progress Michigan is launching our first official policy workgroup, centered on Pontiac City Councilmember Mikal Goodman’s Tenant Rights package, with Just Cause Eviction at the core. This workgroup creates an ongoing space for LPMI members to learn from one another, collaborate to pass policy, troubleshoot challenges, and build towards a Michigan chapter that sustains impactful housing wins.
Members will engage in shared learning and coordination to advance bold tenant protections that improve the lives of our communities. Whether you are already leading on housing policies or looking to step into this work, this space is designed to shape where our housing work is headed in Michigan and support members towards collective action. If you’re interested or want to learn more, reach out to Izzy Silva.
🤝 Collaborative Governance Academy
LPMI is preparing to host a Collaborative Governance Academy training in Michigan, supporting members as they lead and govern with collaboration, shared power, and alignment.
CGA helps local leaders:
- Build a culture of governance rooted in inclusion and partnership
- Strengthen relationships between elected officials, staff, and movement leaders
- Turn organizing wins into people-centered policy
- Develop shared strategy using tools like power mapping and agenda setting
At a time when democracy feels fragile, local leaders in Michigan are stepping up. CGA is designed to support your leadership with practical tools, peer learning, and a space to govern with clarity and a shared purpose. Keep an eye out for an upcoming email with details on our Michigan CGA.
🏡 Your One Stop for Caucuses
Trying to remember when the next Nuestro Caucus General meeting is? Want to join the Black Caucus signal group chat? Or find your caucus playlist? Look no further! Your one stop shop for all things caucus is right here!
📨 Help Us Find the Next Collaborative Governance Academy Director!
With our recent re-launch of the Collaborative Governance (CGA), formerly known as Progressive Governance Academy or PGA, we are looking for a deeply collaborative and strategic leader to evolve and elevate this joint initiative, both as a model for progressive leadership development and as a model for collective impact. The CGA Director will bring their vision and expertise to shaping and formalizing the CGA as an enduring program by setting a renewed strategy with a focus on scaling for impact. Click here to share the posting!
⚡️ National Convening Registration is now OPEN for Members & Alumni Leaders!
Are you ready for this year’s convening? We can’t wait to see you in Baltimore, MD on July 9-11! Over the past year, the community care amongst the incredible Local Progress network in this moment makes crystal clear what we’ve always known – that even in the midst of relentless attacks on immigrants, Black and Brown folks, LGBTQ+ people, workers, youth, and our communities – localities are not only at the forefront but serve as the bedrock of transformative change. It is this movement of local elected officials leading fearlessly to build a world where all of us can be grounded in our joy and freedom that inspires our 2026 theme: Fearless Leadership * Joyful Liberation. Check your email for your personalized invite link and register today!
✨ Meet Mikal Goodman, Pontiac City Councilmember!
Mikal Goodman ran for office at 21, motivated by the challenges his community faced with housing and quality of life. Growing up on Section 8 and government assistance gave him a personal perspective on what residents deserve and shapes the policies he champions today.
Since taking office, Mikal Goodman has focused on passing policies that reflect his values and meet the real needs of his neighbors. Over the next six months, he hopes to advance as many No Secret Police policies as possible while continuing to strengthen protections in Pontiac against the unchecked expansion of data centers. Mikal is also a member of Local Progress Michigan’s Organizing Committee, where he helps lead the chapter’s housing work, including efforts to advance tenant protections and Just Cause Eviction policies. Joining Local Progress has connected him with a network of peers who support and challenge one another, helping him grow as an elected official and community advocate.
Fun fact: The Pontiac car was named after the city, giving it a unique place in American automotive history.