east Lansing commissioner Mark Grebner Reflects on Decades of Advocacy, Defiance
East Lansing – Ingham County Commissioner and attorney Mark Grebner, a fixture in local politics for decades, recently shared anecdotes illustrating his long career marked by both intentional advocacy and unexpected association with progressive causes.
Grebner first gained prominence defending men caught in controversial police stings at area rest stops during the 1980s. When seeking reelection in 1986, he publicly questioned the severity of felony charges leveled against men entrapped by undercover officers. “The problem at the … rest stop had nothing to do with ‘security,'” he stated in a Lansing State Journal questionnaire. “None of the men charged with felonies were ever seen by any member of the general public, nor were they ever likely to attack or molest anyone. I believe the prosecutor and police overreacted by charging 5-year felonies and refusing to consider alternatives.”
He also proposed an amendment to the East Lansing City Charter in 1992 intended to prevent discrimination based on “marital or family status,” though the measure ultimately failed at the ballot. grebner clarified his intention was to protect renters,but the proposal drew criticism and accusations from political opponents.
During a radio debate, an opponent accused Grebner of pursuing a “homosexual agenda,” citing Old Testament scripture before declaring Grebner was both Jewish and homosexual. Grebner responded, “I’m an atheist, but the God I don’t believe in is Lutheran.”
Now in his seventh decade, Grebner describes himself as “probably the last hippie west of Seattle,” acknowledging a shift in lifestyle. “I’ve become affluent and fat and sluggish,” he said. “I own a car, although it is a 21-year-old Prius, and I have a really nice espresso machine.”
