Ryan Kost takes Lansing City Council Ward 1 seat from Brian Daniels

Bryce Airgood, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read

LANSING — With 56 votes to spare, Ryan Kost has secured the Lansing City Council Ward 1 seat from Brian Daniels, according to unofficial election results Wednesday.

With 100% of precincts reported, Kost had 3,776 votes, about 50%, while Daniels had 3,720, about 49%. There were 102 unresolved write-in votes, according to the unofficial results.

Kost, 34, works for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in information technology. He graduated from DeWitt High School before going into the workforce.

Kost has been a proponent for enhancing the city’s parks. He has said tackling housing issues is important to him and he has concerns about code compliance not following through on houses they’ve red tagged as being unsafe. He’s also said he’s against the $175-million Safer Lansing bond, which was approved by voters Tuesday and will replace and upgrades various police and fire facilities throughout the city.

Eastside resident Ryan Kost of Lansing cleans up debris and overgrowth beneath the Interstate 496 overpass along South Holmes Street on June 25, 2021. He said he hopes his efforts to beautify the neighborhood inspires others and helps brings unity to fellow residents within the community.
Eastside resident Ryan Kost of Lansing cleans up debris and overgrowth beneath the Interstate 496 overpass along South Holmes Street on June 25, 2021. He said he hopes his efforts to beautify the neighborhood inspires others and helps brings unity to fellow residents within the community.

Kost said he is humbled and honored to be elected to city council and he thanked Daniels, who was appointed to fill the seat after controversial Council Member Brandon Betz resigned in January. Kost will serve out the remainder of Betz's term, which ends in 2023.

He also thanked his husband and family for standing by him and the voters who didn’t vote for him, saying he’ll work as hard for them as the people who did vote for him.

"I look forward to continuing to focus on our community and advancing the causes of the first ward with the people of the first ward next to me as equals,” he said in a text to the Lansing State Journal.

“No one gets left behind,” he added. “... I look forward to working with city council and making Lansing a better place for all the people.”

Daniels, 36, a U.S. Army veteran who graduated from Grand Ledge High School and owns EmPOWer Lansing gym, said in an early Wednesday morning statement posted to Facebook that it has been an incredible honor to represent the ward.

He congratulated Kost and said he wishes him nothing but success and looks forward to watching Kost over the next year to see what the other voters in the ward are seeking.

Daniels also said he looks forward to seeking a full term and being able to create a less divided ward and city in the future.

“I love Lansing and I'll never stop showing you,” Daniels said.

Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Ryan Kost takes Lansing City Council Ward 1 seat from Brian Daniels