Reporter’s notebook: The Documenters take a day trip to Lansing

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Documenters from Detroit and Grand Rapids took a field trip to Lansing last week for an up-close look at lawmakers doing business in the Michigan State Capitol. I was super excited to tag along since I’d never been inside the Capitol myself!

If you’re not already familiar, Documenters get paid to attend and take notes on local government meetings. But a lot of what happens in Lansing relates directly to communities in Detroit and Grand Rapids. So about a dozen of us headed to Lansing to learn a little more about the inner workings of state government.

“Any opportunity for Documenters to meet in person and go do something fun, but also educational, that’s always going to be a win,” said Detroit Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade.

After walking past the entrance — and through a metal detector —  some of us were struck by the Capitol’s ornate gold-and-pastel-colored Victorian decorative arts details .

“The architecture is really nice,” Detroit Documenter Tamia Davis told me. This was the Eastpointe resident’s first time in the Capitol. “I haven’t even been in Lansing before. So this is a different experience.”

“It feels powerful in here,” said Nina Kelly, once our group reached the balcony of the Senate chamber. Above us were chandeliers and etched glass panels representing the 50 states. Below, armchairs and desks were arranged on colorful floral carpet. “It feels like you’re supposed to feel like you’re in a place where decisions are being made.”

Kelly lived in Lansing and its neighbor East Lansing while she attended Michigan State University, but this was also her first time inside the Capitol.

Aside from the ornamentation, there wasn’t a lot to see in the Senate chamber — since it wasn’t in session — so we made our way over to the House of Representatives chamber on the other side of the Capitol dome. The House was technically in session, but there wasn’t much business going on there either. It appeared more like a lot of pomp and circumstance. A handful of representatives introduced constituents and other special guests seated near us on the balcony. These included a National Cherry Queen, some elementary school students and a former intern who received glowing accolades from the lawmaker she used to work for.

About two minutes of actual work happened — wherein a bill was unceremoniously introduced, and some members were switched around on a committee — before the House declared itself “at ease” for roughly the next hour.

Some of us ventured over to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which makes recommendations for Michigan’s $80 billion-plus annual budget . It was here that we finally got to see some real action. Senators asked a mining company representative and officials from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. tough questions about why state money should be used to incentivize a copper mine in the Upper Peninsula.

“I thought it was nice to hear at least a couple of the senators question what the state would be getting out of that partnership,” reflected Detroit Documenter Pamela Taylor. “But it’s not what you say. It’s really what you do.”

But we didn’t get to see what these lawmakers did on this particular issue on this day. The committee didn’t vote on whether to award the grant.

Lessons from a state politics reporter

Over lunch, the Documenters had a question-and-answer session with Simon Schuster, a Capitol reporter from Bridge Michigan. Schuster talked to Documenters about his focus on campaign finance reporting.

“I’d say that that’s such an important area for you all to be looking at, because enforcement of campaign finance law in Michigan, at the local level, is almost nonexistent,” he said.

All that local officials can do is refer violations they come across to the Michigan attorney general or the secretary of state, said Schuster.

“These overworked and understaffed county clerks are left to look at this really complex law and all the information that’s in there. And they really just can’t — or really, don’t.”

Coming together

The field trip was not just about learning how lawmakers and the people who cover them work. It was also about bringing the two Documenters crews in Michigan together.

Allison Donahue, program manager for The Rapidian , which oversees the Grand Rapids Documenters, said getting paid to cover local government meetings isn’t the only thing these two groups have in common.

“Detroit and Grand Rapids are two distinct communities with unique strengths, challenges and priorities. However, both cities are affected by state-level laws. Learning more about Capitol reporting and the legislative process as a team was an invaluable experience,” she said.

Detroit Documenters Coordinator Lynelle Herndon said she and her fellow coordinator Kincade are already thinking about the next trip to Lansing.

“One Documenter mentioned going to visit legislators during their office hours as opposed to a session. So that’s one idea that we already have,” said Herndon.

A date hasn’t been set yet, but the Detroit Documenters team is looking at another visit in the fall.

You can learn more about Detroit Documenters and how to become a Documenter yourself .

Reporter’s notebook: The Documenters take a day trip to Lansing · Outlier Media