428 W Lenawee St Is a Hub for Dark Money Activity

LANSING, Mich. — In September 2021, voters in Lansing received anonymous mailers featuring a sexually suggestive photo of mayoral candidate Kathie Dunbar. The return address listed an organization called Michigan Deserves Better. In 2025, a different organization called Michigan Vindicated sent attack mailers against Lansing council candidate Aurelius Christian, made robocalls calling Julie Vandenboom "a socialist," gave $45,000 to a PAC backing a Detroit mayoral candidate, and sent mailers that state Senate candidate Pamela Pugh's campaign described as racist. In 2020, another organization called Solidarity Michigan fabricated a racist quote and attributed it to Macomb County Democratic chairman Ed Bruley.

All three organizations were incorporated by the same person: Reid Felsing, then a Lansing attorney, who filed articles of incorporation for at least 14 political nonprofits at a single address, 428 W Lenawee St, between 2019 and 2024. Three of those nonprofits have filed IRS 990 returns. All three reported zero political campaign activity. In December 2024, Governor Whitmer appointed Felsing to the Eaton County 56A District Court bench.

More than a year into his judicial tenure, Felsing remains listed as the registered agent for two of these nonprofits, and he still owns 428 W Lenawee through Felsing Holding LLC. One of those nonprofits, Protect Michigan Families, received $375,000 from a Washington-based Super PAC earmarked for "repeal anti-worker legislation." No public record shows what Protect Michigan Families did with the money.

---

17 nonprofits at one address

A search of the Michigan LARA business registry returns at least 17 active nonprofit corporations at 428 W Lenawee St. Reid Felsing incorporated and served as registered agent for all of them. After his appointment to the bench, Jack Rucker, a Lansing attorney who took over Felsing's law practice (Nova Law PLC), replaced Felsing as agent on most of the entities. Two still list Felsing. Every entity uses the same phone number, (517) 885-2000, and the same accountant, Jonathan Leazenby of Riverside Accounting Inc in Grand Ledge.

Entity	Formed	Current Agent	What public records show
Residents for Good Governance	06/25/2019	Jack Rucker	$509K revenue (2022-2024). $136K "advertising," $62K "polling." Donated $2,500 to Eaton County Democratic Party (Oct 2024). Zero political activity on 990.
Driving Michigan's Future Inc.	07/05/2019	Jack Rucker	No public return filed.
Michigan Deserves Better Fund	03/12/2021	Jack Rucker	$92K revenue. $55K printing. City Pulse linked to anonymous attack ads against Dem candidates. Zero political activity on 990.
Citizens for a Better Michigan	11/22/2021	Jack Rucker	$323K revenue (2022), $587K (2023). 62% funded by CEME (Consumers Energy). $100K from DTE dark money group. Linked to House Speaker Tate. Felsing was president.
Accelerate Michigan	12/09/2022	Jack Rucker	Received $2,500 from Health Plans PAC (2023). No public return filed.
Michigan Great Lakes Fund	01/26/2023	Jack Rucker	$5,500 from PhRMA (2023). No public return filed.
Michigan Opportunity & Dev. Fund	02/03/2023	Jack Rucker	Received $2,500 from MI Pipe Trades PAC (2024). No public return filed.
Detroit Oakland Alliance Fund	02/08/2023	Jack Rucker	Received $500 from Clark Hill PAC (2025). No public return filed.
Michigan Impact Coalition	05/05/2023	Jack Rucker	Received $2,500 from Health Plans PAC (2024). No public return filed.
Be That Person Foundation	10/19/2023	Jack Rucker	No public return filed. 501(c)(3), not (c)(4).
Inspiring Michigan Progress	11/07/2023	Jack Rucker	No public return filed.
Lansing Future Fund	11/28/2023	Jack Rucker	Received $5K from IBEW PAC, $5K from Make Michigan Great PAC, $5K from Local 333 PAC. Donated $2K to Lansing Future PAC (Super PAC at same address). No public return filed.
Inclusive Governance Alliance	12/21/2023	Jack Rucker	Received $14K from Business Leaders PAC II, $1K from Health Plans PAC (2024-2025). No public return filed.
Bridge to a Better Michigan	04/18/2024	Jack Rucker	No public return filed.
Michigan Alliance for Progress	04/18/2024	Reid Felsing	No public return filed. Felsing remains agent 14+ months after taking bench.
Forward Together	05/29/2024	Jack Rucker	Received $3K from Local 333 PAC, $2K from Business Leaders PAC, $500 from Realtors PAC (2024-2025). No public return filed.
Michigan Vindicated	07/11/2024	Jack Rucker	Attack mailers in 4+ races targeting Dem candidates. $45K to Detroit Next PAC backing a Dem candidate. Mailers Pugh's campaign described as racist. Name used in 2021, not incorporated until 2024. No public return filed.

Source: LARA Business Registry; ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer; MiTN; Instrumentl; news sources linked inline. "No public return filed" means the entity files only the IRS 990-N e-postcard, which discloses nothing beyond the entity's name and EIN.

All are classified as 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, which means they can engage in political activity without disclosing their donors. The entities do not share an ideology or political orientation. MCAR targets Republican Party leadership while RGG's officers run a Democratic council member's PAC. Citizens for a Better Michigan is linked to the Democratic House Speaker; Solidarity Michigan fabricated a racist attack against a Democratic county chairman. The infrastructure serves multiple clients across both parties. Most entities were incorporated in clusters: three in 13 days in early 2023, four in 63 days in late 2023, two on the same day in April 2024.

---

What the IRS filings say

IRS Form 990 asks whether an organization engaged in political campaign activity. An organization that answers yes must file Schedule C disclosing the amount, pay tax on it, and risks losing its tax-exempt status. Three 428 Lenawee entities have filed 990 returns, and all three answered no.

Entity	Revenue	Expenses	What the money went to	Political activity on 990?
Residents for Good Governance	$509,850 (2022-2024)	$462,722	$136K "advertising," $62K "polling," $38K consultants	No
MI Center of Accountability for Republicans	$715,000 (2022-2024)	$690,325	$185K to Jeff Timmer's firm for "issue advocacy," $116K "senate tracking," $232K advertising	No
Michigan Deserves Better Fund	$92,000 (FY 2023)	$96,715	$55K printing/postage (the mailers), $39K professional fees	No

Source: IRS 990/990-EZ XML via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

Michigan Deserves Better spent $54,731 on printing and postage while its documented public activities consist of sexually suggestive mailers against Kathie Dunbar, attack ads calling Virg Bernero "America's Horniest Mayor," a full-page ad calling Jeffrey Brown a "grifter," and earlier mailers targeting candidates in 2012 and 2017 races. Reid Felsing signed the 990 as treasurer.

MCAR paid $185,060 to Two Rivers Public Affairs, the firm of its own president Jeff Timmer, for "issue advocacy." Its mission statement is "educate legislators and the general public on the corruption subsuming the Michigan Republican Party." Bob LaBrant, a longtime Republican election law expert, serves as secretary. The organization spent $590,275 in 2022 alone.

Nine of the remaining twelve 428 Lenawee entities registered with the IRS have no publicly available 990 filings. They appear to file only the 990-N e-postcard, which discloses nothing beyond the entity's name and EIN. On a 2019 episode of the Grassroots Midwest podcast, Felsing described the structure he built:

"The beauty of the C4 is the anonymity of money coming in. So there's plausible deniability of saying all this interest is involved. No, all you know is the name of the C4 and the name of the directors because that's provided on your state filings."
Reid Felsing, TicketSplitters podcast, Episode 10, May 29, 2019

The podcast host was Adrian Hemond, CEO of Grassroots Midwest, a political consulting firm that has received $3.24 million from 77 political committees including Mayor Andy Schor's campaign, the UA Local 333 plumbers and pipefitters PAC, and the Lansing Regional Chamber PAC. On the same episode, Hemond confirmed: "We use Reid for some of this type of work on behalf of our clients." Hemond's personal holding company is registered at 428 W Lenawee, incorporated by Felsing.

---

Who controls the money

Jade Smith serves as Treasurer of both Residents for Good Governance and MCAR, holding the financial books for a Democratic-aligned and a Republican-aligned operation from the same building, with the same accountant and the same preparer filing both returns. On Nova Law PLC's website, she is listed as COO and Paralegal. Brittany Young, who was installed as Secretary of RGG in the 2024 filing, is listed as "Campaign Finance Coordinator."

RGG's president is Jack Rucker, who also serves as treasurer for the Garza Leadership PAC (MiTN Committee 519962), the leadership PAC of Lansing City Council member Jeremy Garza, a Democrat.

Person	RGG (Dem-aligned)	MCAR (GOP-aligned)	Garza PAC (Dem)	Nova Law PLC title
Jade Smith	Treasurer	Treasurer		COO/Paralegal
Jack Rucker	President		Treasurer	Founding Attorney
Brittany Young	Secretary			Campaign Finance Coordinator
Jeff Timmer		President
Bob LaBrant		Secretary

Source: IRS 990 XML via ProPublica (EINs 84-2130868, 86-2521289); MiTN Committee 519962; Nova Law PLC

---

Where the money comes from

MiTN campaign finance records and IRS 990 filings document at least $698,000 flowing into the network from 13 external sources:

Source	Recipient at 428 Lenawee	Amount	Type
Policy Over Party (IUOE Super PAC)	Protect Michigan Families	$375,000	Union
Consumers Energy (via CEME)	Citizens for a Better Michigan	$200,000	Utility
Business Leaders for MI PAC II	3 entities	$63,000	Corporate
MI Assoc of Health Plans PAC	6 entities	$41,250	Health insurance
IBEW PAC	Lansing Future Fund	$5,000	Union
Make Michigan Great (Super PAC)	Lansing Future Fund	$5,000	Political
MI Restaurant & Lodging PAC	Citizens for a Better Michigan	$5,000	Hospitality
MI Pipe Trades IE PAC	MI Opportunity & Dev. Fund	$2,500	Union
Other sources	Various	$1,250	Mixed

The sources span unions, a regulated utility, a corporate PAC, and a health insurance trade group, but the money lands at the same address and is managed by the same people. The Michigan Association of Health Plans distributed its $41,250 across six separate 428 Lenawee entities over five years. At under $7,000 per entity, each contribution looks routine. In aggregate, it is a systematic funding program for a single operation.

The two largest documented sources raise questions that extend beyond Lansing. The $375,000 from Policy Over Party, a Super PAC funded by the International Union of Operating Engineers in Washington, and the $200,000 routed through Citizens for Energizing Michigan's Economy, a Consumers Energy nonprofit that retained $10.4 million in assets as of its most recent filing, suggest the network's funding extends beyond Michigan's political ecosystem. Those connections are outside the scope of this analysis.

EXTERNAL SOURCE→RECIPIENT AT 428 W LENAWEEPolicy Over Party (IUOE Super PAC)Washington, DCCEME (Consumers Energy)Jackson, MIBusiness Leaders for MI PAC IICorporate PACMI Assoc of Health Plans PACTrade groupIBEW PACUnionOther documented sourcesMixedProtect Michigan FamiliesAgent: Reid Felsing (still, as of March 2026)Citizens for a Better MichiganFelsing was president; agent now Jack RuckerResidents for Good Governance+ Driving MI's Future, Lansing Future Fund6 entities across 5 years~$6,875 eachLansing Future FundAgent: Jack RuckerVarious entities at 428 W LenaweeAgent: Jack Rucker$375,000$200,000$63,000$41,250$5,000$13,750Documented flows from public records only. Nine of twelve IRS-registered entities at428 W Lenawee file no public return. Actual funding may be larger.Source: MiTN, FEC, ProPublica. Flow widths proportional to documented amount.

---

Who it touches now

Jack Rucker, who inherited Felsing's law practice and took over as agent for 17 entities, also serves as treasurer for the Garza Leadership PAC (MiTN Committee 519962), the leadership PAC of sitting Lansing City Council member Jeremy Garza. Jade Smith, who holds the books for both RGG and MCAR, is the record keeper for the same PAC.

In 2025, a ballot question committee called Vote Yes Lansing 2025 operated from 428 W Lenawee. It supported the Lansing Charter Amendment that passed with 66% of the vote in November 2025. The committee paid $11,105 to Grassroots Midwest for consulting and $2,500 to Nova Law for treasurer services.

Grassroots Midwest operates from 110 W Lenawee, a block from 428. The firm has received $3.24 million from 77 political committees across federal, state, and local levels. Its CEO, Adrian Hemond, has his personal holding company registered not at the firm's office but at 428 W Lenawee, incorporated by Felsing. In October 2022, Grassroots Midwest sole-funded a federal Super PAC called The Moderate Michigan Voice with $205,000. Felsing served as treasurer and was paid $5,000. The PAC spent $198,599 on cable TV ads one week before the 2022 midterm, operating from 428 W Lenawee, and terminated four months later.

The firm's clients include Mayor Andy Schor's campaign ($229,000 across three Schor entities), the UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 333 PAC ($203,000 since 2019), and the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC ($32,000). The relationship between Grassroots Midwest, the 428 Lenawee nonprofits, and the political committees they serve will be the subject of a future analysis.

Citizens for a Better Michigan, where Felsing served as president, is linked to House Speaker Joe Tate and received $100,000 from a DTE Energy dark money group in 2023, the same year utility reform bills stalled in the state House. Residents for Good Governance previously featured staffers of House Appropriations Chair Angela Witwer on its board, and its revenue nearly doubled the year Witwer took the chair.

428 W Lenawee StNova Law PLC (Jack Rucker)17 nonprofits, 1 phone, 1 accountantOwner: Felsing Holding LLCGrassroots MidwestVote Yes Lansing 2025Moderate MI Voice PACHemond Holding LLCCouncil member GarzaMayor SchorSpeaker TateChair WitwerHemond co. at 428operated from 428Felsing treas., $205Kincorporated by FelsingRucker = PAC treas.$229K via GMCBM, $100K DTERGG staffers on board$11K consultingInfrastructure at or linked to 428Connection to current elected officialVendor/client relationshipDocumented connections from public records only. This diagram does not represent the full scope of the network.Source: MiTN, LARA, FEC, ProPublica. Connections from public filings.

---

The incorporator

Reid Felsing incorporated these entities while practicing law at 428 W Lenawee. In December 2024, Governor Whitmer appointed him to the Eaton County 56A District Court bench. His connections to dark money nonprofits were reported by the Washington Examiner, the Detroit News, and Michigan News Source in December 2024.

After the appointment, Rucker replaced Felsing as agent on most entities and Smith replaced him as treasurer, with the changes filed within a two-day window in July 2025. Two entities still list Felsing as agent more than 14 months later. He still owns 428 W Lenawee through Felsing Holding LLC. Two months before the appointment, Residents for Good Governance donated $2,500 to the Eaton County Democratic Executive Committee, the county party in the jurisdiction where Felsing now presides.

Voters in Lansing, Detroit, Macomb County, and Senate District 35 received anonymous mailers from organizations at this address. They had no way to know who paid for them. The organizations told the IRS they engaged in zero political activity. At least $698,000 in documented funding from unions, utilities, and corporate PACs flowed into the address. Most of the entities that received it file no public return. Who are these organizations accountable to?

---

Sources

Entity records and articles of incorporation from LARA Business Registry (19 entities, retrieved March 2026). IRS 990/990-EZ XML via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EINs 84-2130868, 86-2626079, 86-2521289). Campaign finance from MiTN (contribution and expenditure searches, all entities, including reverse lookups for each entity name as payee/contributor). Federal disbursements from FEC (Committee C00766410). Property ownership from Ingham County BS&A (2025 FOIA export, parcels 33-01-01-16-354-071 and -081). Staff titles from Nova Law PLC. CBM funding from Instrumentl. Felsing's appointment and dark money connections were previously reported by the Washington Examiner, the Detroit News, and Michigan News Source in December 2024. This analysis adds property ownership records, MiTN reverse lookups documenting $698,000+ in funding flows, formation clustering patterns, and per-entity activity documentation not included in prior reporting. Also registered at 428 W Lenawee but not in the table above: Nova Law PLC (LARA 802095610, Felsing's former law practice) and Adrian Hemond Holding LLC (LARA 802559806, incorporated by Felsing for Adrian Hemond, CEO of Grassroots Midwest).