A Democratic congressional hopeful in Michigan who has promoted his record of “cracking down on slumlords” reported as much as $50,000 a year in rental income, even as his own properties were cited for code violations, records reviewed by The Post show.
State Sen. Sean McCann, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s Fourth Congressional District, owns McLam Properties LLC, which holds two residential properties in Kalamazoo.
McCann and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have both highlighted his support for renters and tenant protections in separate public statements.
However, state records and federal financial disclosures indicate McCann receives between $15,001 and $50,000 annually from rental properties where cited problems lingered far longer than the timeline required under legislation he has backed.
One of the homes failed a Kalamazoo city code inspection in January after officials identified several fire-safety issues, including clutter around gas heating units, an expired fire extinguisher, missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and “excessive” reliance on extension cords instead of permanent wiring.
Rental certificates obtained by The Post show those violations were not cleared for four months.
MORE STORY: Brittany Boltinhouse Racism Allegations Rock Pageant World
McCann’s second property was cited for at least 11 violations in August 2024, and records show those issues were not fully resolved for 17 months.
That property had been cited by a city inspector for “dangerous” electrical systems, an expired fire extinguisher, a missing carbon monoxide detector, and “peeling” wall coverings and paint.
McCann has served in the Michigan Senate since January 2019 and sponsored legislation that would have penalized landlords for being too slow to fix code violations.
The so-called Tenant Empowerment Package would have forced repairs within 48 hours to conditions deemed “hazardous to life or imminently hazardous to the health and safety” of renters.
Other repairs would have been mandated within seven days of a violation — and tenants would have been allowed to “withhold rent” by depositing money into an escrow account that would only have been released to landlords once the fixes are done.
The Tenant Empowerment Package has caused bitter debate within the Lansing legislature since it was first proposed in June 2024, but has yet to become law.
All code violations flagged at McCann-owned properties were fixed within the timelines required by current law and regulations.
“Sean and McLam Properties LLC follows the law and fully complies with the City of Kalamazoo ordinances,” said McCann campaign spokesperson Simone Archer-Kraus.
“Sean has a history and voting record of siding with Michigan families to stand up to slumlords and in Congress he’ll keep pushing for safer and more affordable housing — because while [Rep.] Bill Huizenga [R-Mich.] sells luxury condos and lines his own pockets, Sean works to make life better for regular people.”
McCann defeated Diop Harris, a former legislative correspondent for ex-US Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), in the Tuesday primary by more than 30 percentage points.
Huizenga, 57, is seeking an eighth term in Congress, having first been elected in 2010.
The Fourth District is one of three Republican-held Michigan seats eyed by the DCCC to flip as the party tries to regain the House after four years in the minority.
