Jim Lance Is Battle Creek’s New Ward 5 Commissioner

Battle Creek’s new Ward 5 City Commissioner will be a lawyer who previously ran to be an area judge.

The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that at the special City Commission meeting last night, Commissioners chose to appoint James Lance to the position after hearing presentations from the numerous applicants. Commissioners say they chose Lance because of his experience on various boards, including the Boys and Girls Club of Battle Creek and Mid-Michigan Junior Achievement, as well as his work in the governor’s office and in the private sector.

After being chosen, Lance said that he feels Battle Creek is making a turnaround and he wants to be a part of that. He says while he looks forward to addressing city wide issues, he wants to make sure his primary focus is Ward 5.

Lance will finish out the rest of former Commissioner Dave Walters' term, which expires in 2020. At that point, he could choose to run for election.

James Lance, an attorney with Kreis Enderle in Battle Creek, previously ran against Judge Paul Beardslee in the 2016 Calhoun County District Court race. A video of his campaign appearance on 95.3 WBCK can be seen below.