Meet the Democrats running for the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners

Local Democrats want residents to know that there are still important choices to make in the general election — which could lead to them picking up more seats on the board.

Sep 24, 2024

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of two stories highlighting the candidates for Ottawa County commissioner. A subsequent story will list the Republicans.

OTTAWA COUNTY — Much fanfare was made over the Republican primary election cycle in Ottawa County this year, with Ottawa Impact county commission candidates losing to traditional conservative challengers.

The far-right fundamentalist group, formed in 2021 over frustrations with county and state COVID-19 mitigation measures, currently has a six-seat controlling majority on the 11-member board and made a series of controversial decisions in 2023 that led to five lawsuits within 14 months and a brief investigation from the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

OI is nearly assured of losing its controlling majority on the board, however, local Democrats want residents to know that there are still important choices to make in the general election — which could lead to them picking up more seats on the board.

Stakes for county elections are higher than ever across Michigan in 2024 after a change in state law lengthens terms for commissioners from two years to four.

Here’s a breakdown of the Democrats running for the board of commissioners:

District 1: Danielle Smith

Includes: Port Sheldon Township, Olive Township, Park Township Precincts: 1-3, 5-7

The Park Township resident, 46, is running for the second time after a bid in 2022. She said she has learned a lot about county government mechanics and wants to bring a unique voice to the board.

"I think, in my initial run, I was just starting to understand myself — how the office ran and what really happens at the county level. It was more about having more diverse representation on the board to provide a perspective through that business lens that I care strongly about.

"The real threat of Ottawa Impact came later on," she said. "Now that we've had a couple of years with them having the majority on the board, I think my reasons have become maybe more elevated. It's been painful watching us move backward."

"I'm really running because I feel very strongly that we need to accelerate efforts that enhance our reputation and make us an attractive place to live and work," Smith said. "We need to get back on track."

The district is currently represented by OI Republican incumbent Gretchen Cosby, who lost in the GOP primary to Jim Barry.

When listing priorities, Smith said she wants to ensure the county provides stable services.

"It's promoting good governance, both fiscally and ethically," she said. "I would say reinvesting in health services or services that really matter for our community members (is a priority). We've seen a dramatic decline in investment in that space, even though there are growing needs, not to mention escalating inflation."

The Battle Creek native said she's looking to be a voice of reason on the board to seek solutions via consensus from multiple perspectives.

"One thing I care really strongly about is collaborating across party lines to find common ground," she said. "That's something I feel like I'm positioned to do — it's largely been the focus throughout my career. And I think it's really, really important right now that people are coming together, sharing their perspectives, but ultimately, finding that common ground so that we can move forward."

Smith has worked in human resources for more than 20 years. She currently leads HR for an investment company based in Grand Rapids.

She said her career experience has fueled her passion for addressing workforce barriers.

"I've really being involved in the community to try to attract and retain talent," she said. "This has been something that I hold near and dear, being raised in a manufacturing household myself. In West Michigan, we are challenged with being able to attract and retain people, regardless of skill level."

Smith received her undergrad in political economics and a master's degree in labor relations, both from Michigan State University. She's lived in West Michigan for more than 15 years. She's been active in professional boards and has volunteered for several nonprofits.

She said the negative media attention revolving around the current board has damaged Ottawa County.

"We need to address some of the things that have been happening, that have led to now countless lawsuits and costs associated with legal services," she said. "(We need to make sure we're) abiding by just basic guidelines and policies and making good decisions — like ensuring we've got appropriate representation on our committees and that we're following the Open Meetings Act and providing our constituents with clarity and transparency."

For more information about Smith, visit electdaniellesmith.com.

District 2: Chris Kleinjans

Includes: Holland Charter Township Precincts 1-4, 6-8 and 11, Park Township Precinct 4

Kleinjans defeated OI Republican Lucy Ebel in a special recall election in District 2 in May by 20 percentage points, but he’s faced challenges since then.

First came his firing from Michigan State University’s Extension Office after the school said his role as a commissioner was incompatible with his employment.

Kleinjans, who has since sued the school for wrongful termination, claims current board Chair Joe Moss, who also is the founder and president of OI, intentionally pressured MSU to hurt the Democrat’s chances of winning in the recall. Moss has been named as a defendant in that litigation as well.

Meanwhile, Kleinjans also faces a new political rival: Traditional Republic Jordan Jorritsma, who bested Ebel in the August primary after she attempted to regain her seat on the board.

Kleinjans, 55, is a 1986 graduate of Holland High School and a U.S. Navy veteran. He claims deep roots in the Holland area as a descendant of the settlers of Zeeland.

After returning home and marrying his wife, Sarah, Kleinjans earned degrees in youth services from Grand Rapids Community College, history and education from Grand Valley State University and a master's in public administration from GVSU. The couple has lived in District 2, which includes parts of Park Township and Holland Township, for nearly 30 years. They have two boys — Benjamin, 28, and Jackson, 25.

Kleinjans has a 25-year history working in the nonprofit sector, including the development of educational programming for the Holland Historical Trust and about 14 years as a community nutrition instructor for MSU Extension.

Kleinjans also serves as a volunteer with the Ottawa County Community Emergency Response Team and as a member of the board of Community Mental Health of Ottawa County. He is a member of the American Legion and VFW.

He said he became concerned about his local community when "things started getting stranger in the body politic nationally," combined with a toxicity he saw on social media platforms.

"And then, I think things just got so toxic. The previous presidential administration — there was just no chill. And now I have members of my family where we don't see eye to eye on these things. And we would go long stretches of time without talking to each other and that doesn't solve anything; it doesn't get you any more closer to the solution."

There are certain things, he said, that are getting lost in the ongoing county controversy.

"For instance, our traffic — two-thirds of the county goes through our district every day. It's the transient district," Kleinjans said. "We have West Ottawa Public Schools. We're a big school system, and there are children everywhere. I would like a traffic assessment. I don't believe we've had one of those done since 1980. It would be nice ... to look at how we're going to adapt to make my district streets safer for our people."

He said he'd also like to work with local municipalities to install multi-use paths on streets like James and Beeline.

"To get across some of these streets, you've got to walk practically half a mile on the grass," he said. "These are systemic things that we could be working on. But instead, we're having two-month-long meetings that don't go anywhere and it infuriates me, and it's all I've ever done my entire career is work to help other people get to either a better place or become more informed."

"I would just like a return to good governance," he said, referencing the current Ottawa Impact majority. "Governance that is tolerant and respectful of the people that are being governed, as well as being an effective fiduciary of our resources."

Kleinjans said, no matter what, he's dedicated to continue serving his community.

"I want everybody that lives in the Second District to know that, even if you're doing great, I want your kids to do better. I want to just see things move forward — for everybody. That's what brought my people here. I mean, that's what brought my family here. That's what brought a lot of people's families here."

To learn more about Kleinjans, visit kleinjansforcountycommissioner.com.

District 3: Doug Zylstra

Includes: City of Holland

Zylstra has represented District 3 since 2019 and is running for a third term.

He said despite a year filled with lawsuits and drama, he remains hopeful for dialogue — even with OI commissioners if they retain their seats.

"I guess that's my goal," he said. "I mean, as one commissioner, I can't dictate what the board composition will look like, but my hope is that we communicate and, if the composition stays the same, my hope would still be the same — that we need to communicate because it's not serving residents to guess what's going on."

Zylstra, who was the board’s lone Democrat until Kleinjans was elected, said he’s in a unique position to foster dialogue.

“I'm a Democrat and people know that, but at the same time, I have really good relationships with a lot of Republicans and it's just a unique spot where I get to be me,” he said. "I've always been focused on being an independent voice," he said. "I'm making sure I represent my district as best I can."

Zylstra pointed to his habit of publishing post-meeting recaps on his X page, the site formerly known as Twitter, with his assessment of board issues.

"If anybody wants to know why I voted for something, they can either call me or check it out," Zylstra said. "I don't hide anything. I post my cell phone number, you can call me anytime and ask me. There are people who've done that and I really appreciate that."

Despite being taken off the county's housing commission last year, Zylstra said housing remains one of the biggest challenges for Ottawa County.

"We all know there's affordability issues, opportunity issues — people can't even find what they're looking for, much less at the price they need. ... I definitely think our county should be doing a lot more than it's been doing."

Another big issue for Zylstra is healthcare. In the new fiscal year, the OI majority pushed through deep budget cuts to the county health department.

"We've seen so much pressure over the last year to kind of ... I wouldn't say marginalize public health, but definitely to knock it down, as far as its ability to be a positive force," Zylstra said. "I definitely want to be making sure that I'm doing all I can as a commissioner to make sure that our county continues investing in physical and mental health."

Zylstra will face Republican Orlando Estrada in the general election.

As the only remaining incumbent on the board seeking re-election who also served on the 2020-2022 board, Zylstra acknowledged the former board could've done more with public outreach and understanding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I will be the first to say that we didn't do the best job we could back in 2021 or 2022," Zylstra said. "We did institute live streaming during that time, which I think was a great plus — but I don't think we had the town halls, the forums that we could've had, whether digital or non-digital. We didn't communicate with residents, so we put out that pattern that has unfortunately continued, kind of flipped, where now we don't have a ton of open communication with residents."

Zylstra said, as the county continues to grow, it means more diverse peoples and perspectives.

"When you go from a county that's 200,000 (people) that has a very traditional way — religious base or cultural base — to 300,000, it means more diverse people who have different thoughts. It's got to be tough to make that adaptation from a county that's been fairly homogenous in the past to a heterogeneous, diverse county with different opinions.

"Our job as the board is to channel that diversity."

For more information, visit zylstraforcountycommissioner.com.

District 4: Chris Crothers

Includes: City of Zeeland, Holland Charter Township Precincts: 5, 9-10 and 12, Zeeland Charter Township Precincts: 1-3

Crothers said he was inspired to get involved in local politics after seeing what he described as “revenge politics” play out with Ottawa Impact leading the board.

"I see a lot of revenge politics, wasting our money. It's just what they're doing. Doesn't seem to be solving any problems. It seems to be creating them," he said.

He will face Republican Jacob Bonnema in the November general election, who is running for re-election.

Crothers said he believes he's more in touch with young families in the district.

"I was born and raised in this district, and so I've lived every part of my life (here). Bonnema moved here around 2015 and is a Texas Republican, and he's bringing that kind of far-right mentality — even though he broke away from Ottawa Impact," Crothers said.

"I think that was just a political move because his ideologies still line up with most of what they do. He just doesn't like how they're doing it."

"I think there's a lot of young families moving in. I don't know that they're politically active. I think the ones that would be politically active put that energy into their churches and ignore politics," Crothers said.

"So my thought is, if I can activate them, then I have a chance because I'm not coming out here with far-left ideologies or anything like that. I may feel that way with some of my personal politics, but I don't think that needs to be necessarily brought to the table when I'm representing District Four."

He pointed to a series of controversial decisions that OI has championed, including cutting the county’s health department funding by 40 percent.

"Cutting the health department's funding, taking the money from Ottawa Food ... it's like they're trying to bring everything in-house under the guise of making government smaller, but they're just trying to gain control."

He describes himself as a problem solver who approaches conversations with an open mind.

"If you can explain something to me logically, I'm on board. If there's no logic behind it ... you have to justify it," he said. "One big character thing about me is I believe you have to go into every discussion being able and willing to change your mind. I don't know that Ottawa Impact does that based on the smirks, so that's just a core thing for me.

"I think that I am far more willing to change my position based on what the community tells me during this campaign process than the competition. I think the competition is just going to stay in their bubble and get fed what they want to hear."

For more information, visit crothersforcommissioner.com.

District 5: Jon Rabideau

Includes: Blendon Township, City of Hudsonville, Jamestown Charter Township, Zeeland Charter Township: Precinct 4

Contact information was not available for Rabideau. He has not responded to local media interview and questionnaire requests and does not have a campaign website.

According to his LinkedIn, Rabideau is a software engineer and a graduate of Grand Valley State University.

He will face Moss in the general election.

District 6: Michelle Dieleman

Includes: Georgetown Charter Township Precincts: 9-17

The Wyoming, Michigan, native has lived in Georgetown Township for nearly 40 years. She said she was inspired to run for the District 6 seat when she saw the decisions by the current Ottawa Impact majority on the board.

Those actions were bad enough, Dieleman said, but a more basic decision made at that meeting stood out: changing the county motto from “Where You Belong” to “Where Freedom Rings.”

“And it's so dumb. Really, it's the dumbest thing, but it's probably the thing that pissed me off the most,” she said. “They had to pay about $40,000 to change all the stationery.”

Dieleman said it’s unfortunate that the county has experienced political upheaval over the past two years; she said she longs for a return to normalcy and wants to help achieve that.

“I'm positive. I love people, I love my community,” she said. “Really, what I want is for Ottawa County to just be like the boring Ottawa County it used to be where we didn't even know the names of our commissioners — because they were doing a good job.”

She said the tenor and tone of the current board majority, which she described as “wasted time, wasted money” and nationalistic, has disturbed her. It harkened back to her upbringing on a small farm.

“I was raised in that nationalism,” she said. “It probably hits me harder, because it's scary to me. I think that's what's so disturbing to me, is the cultish flavor of what's going on.”

Dieleman said she would like to serve as a voice that promotes unity while clearly defining the roles of what county commissioners can and can’t do.

“They don't have clearly defined service roles,” she said. “What is your clearly defined service role? And then how do you stay in those parameters? This whole thing has been about personalities, but where are the principles? How about we just do our responsibilities?”

She said one of the biggest lessons from the past two years is that the role of county commissioner can affect more than people realize.

“On one hand, let's get right-sized because they are not right-sized in their job,” she said of the current OI majority. “You are county commissioners. I feel like you can hold both … you're not that important, but you're really important.”

Dieleman will face Ottawa Impact Republican Kendra Wenzel on Nov. 5. Wenzel has been in the role for less than a year; she was appointed to the role in December after former District 6 commissioner Kyle Terpstra resigned.

Dieleman wants constituents to know that she might be a Democrat, but she’s not a radical.

“I am a pretty moderate Democrat on all the things that I will be working on,” she said. “I am fiscally extremely conservative.”

She said she feels like she’s more attuned to what her neighbors want and need from their commissioner over Wenzel.

“I'm bringing my constituents' point of view. I'm bringing the District 6 point of view. That's how I see it,” she said. “There are way more people like me in this district than her, where I bring a more common voice. So I am a more relatable voice. … I believe in democratic representation. I represent a bigger group.”

Dieleman said her upbringing and life experiences bring a unique perspective.

“My life is one-on-one with people, talking about things that are hard. I talk about stuff … even with people who don't agree with me,” she said. “I just always feel like I want to lead with presuming goodwill. We want the same things. How do we get there? Most people want the same things.”

Dieleman said her top priorities are to balance the preservation of the county’s farmland while balancing the growing need for affordable housing and childcare.

“I grew up on a small farm. I have such a passion for not developing all our small farms and farmland that we have in my district,” she said. “Also, my daughter's living in my basement because she can't afford a house in Ottawa County, even with a master’s degree. So how do we balance that? And what can I do to find balance to that? Giving both of those things voice, I think, is really important.”

For more information, visit michelle4commissioner.com.

District 7: Heather Majestic

Includes: Georgetown Charter Township Precincts: 1-8

Majestic decided to make a bid for county commission after she saw what she called “mismanagement” from the current majority.

“I've seen and heard enough that it just seems like something needs to be done about the mismanagement that's going on,” she said. “They changed the motto of the county, which, I think was just the straw that broke the camel's back for me … it just didn't need to be done.”

The lifelong Democrat grew up in Pennsylvania. After serving in the Navy for six years, she attended Notre Dame for her undergrad, then moved to Michigan in 2001 to pursue an MBA at Michigan State University.

She and her family have lived in Jenison for the past 20 years.

She said the multitude of lawsuits from problematic decision-making was “not ideal” and “a waste of money.”

“All the things in the news about the lawsuits, the waste of money, the management of the personnel, the board not being transparent, having back-door, closed-door meetings, spending a lot of money for questions to the legal team … it just seems like it's a misappropriation of the funds,” she said. “They're wasting money on things that, to me, represent their own agenda and not the people.”

She said the OI majority seems to have lost sight of representing the county as a whole.

“It just feels wrong to me that they're not representing everybody. They're only representing people who think like they do,” Majestic said. “And I don't think that's what public service is supposed to be for. It should be to serve the county — not just individuals or issues.”

Majestic said there should be more integrity in public entities, which are intended to serve the people.

“There's a lack of transparency in the board's formal actions, as well as lack of concern for issues affecting every member of our county,” she said. “And I'm inspired to bring better representation and leadership to the county's board. … Since taking office in January 2023, the commissioners affiliated with Ottawa Impact have made several costly and avoidable decisions worse. These decisions have been made without transparency.”

Majestic said she would like to focus on issues such as “fiscal responsibility and common sense.”

“Tax dollars should be spent wisely in service of the common good,” she said.

Majestic served as a supply corps officer while serving in the military and now professionally works in supply chain management sourcing.

Her service sent her to other states, including Georgia, Alaska and Virginia, which helped expose her to situations where she was living, working and dealing with people who were not the same as her.

“Finding common ways to move things forward and being adaptable to the different personalities and different types, I think is a skill that I bring,” she said. “I know there's a lot of animosity right now between non-OI and the OI team. And, ultimately, I think people have the best interests of themselves and their surroundings in mind, but they sometimes are misguided on how they go about it.”

She said negative politics have unfortunately set the tone over the past two years in county government.

“There's opportunity to come together to work as a team and find the places where we actually have common ground instead of differences,” she said. “But I think people miss that sometimes in politics, and they think, ‘Well, if you're not with me, you’re against me.’ The divisiveness is unnecessary. People can have a difference of opinion, but if they respect each other and respect the fact that they're allowed to have a difference of opinion, but work on compromise to find the good for everybody, that's what we should be doing.”

If elected, Majestic said she would push for more transparency in government meetings, as well as a review of the board’s bylaws to “ground ourselves in the rules of how things are supposed to go.”

Other priorities for Majestic, 53, are to explore ways the county can help make housing more affordable for residents.

“Home prices are just astronomically high,” she said. “People should be able to afford something in Ottawa County. And I just think wages aren't keeping up with prices of housing. It just doesn't seem fair that there's people who are in the higher echelon of income that can afford it, and they're just getting to do everything they want. And the people who need to find lower-income housing, it’s not available for them. There's a disparity that needs to be worked on. I think there are things county commissioners could do … working with businesses and trying to find ways that food insecurity can be addressed.”

Majestic has two children, ages 21 and 18, with her husband, Dave, who died unexpectedly in 2019.

She said her unique experiences as a wife, mother, employee, manager and widow have given her experiences in many spaces that help her relate to constituents.

“I don't know what it's like to be a different race,” she said, “but I do know what it's like to be a woman in the military, when it's 10% female officers. And I've worked in business … also not very female-friendly, from a management role perspective. Now I'm a widow, and I know what that feels like — people will understand that I can identify with a lot of things. I’m just more well-rounded.”

She said being able to relate to the communities one serves helps to restore trust in local representative government.

“I think people need to see somebody who might be a little bit like them, somebody who will be different, who might say things differently, or might look at things differently,” Majestic said. “I think that providing that opportunity for people is not necessarily to win the election, although I would love to win the election. If I don't, I still want to be able to say that I push the needle a little bit in terms of giving someone a person to identify within the public arena where they might not have had that before.”

Majestic said it’s encouraging for her to see so many Democrats running for commissioner, even in districts that are more conservative like hers.

She will face traditional Republican John Teeples in the general election after he defeated OI Republican Rachel Atwood in the August primary.

“I am so excited about the fact that there are Democrats running, especially in the east side of the county,” she said. “They often aren't considered. They don't have a seat at the table. We might not have the majority, but we're here.”

Majestic wants all voters to be reassured that she is committed to them and furthering the county’s goals.

“I don't think people need to worry about my intellect or my commitment, or understanding people,” she said. “I've been managing people for decades, and I understand how human dynamics work because of the jobs that I've had and things I've done in my life.”

She said she relies on her integrity and discipline that she’s honed over a lifetime.

“Integrity is a loosely used word these days, but discipline and integrity — that aspect is not something that I really talk about very much, but it's definitely part of who I am,” she said. “And I think people, even if you're not in the same party as me, people around here appreciate hard work.

“I've been working hard my whole life, and I've always tried to do the right thing. And people make mistakes, but everybody usually starts out with good intentions. People are always coming from the place of trying to do the right thing, even though they make mistakes. And I think that's who I am, too. I think I can identify with people on that level.”

For more information, visit grandjen.com/?candidate=heather-majestic.

District 8: Rebecca Patrick

Includes: Allendale Charter Township

Patrick was arguably one of the most civically engaged citizens in Ottawa County in 2023. She attended about 65 government meetings — often making public comments to boards and committees.

"I feel very strongly that government can do good things and provide good outcomes and good quality of life for people," Patrick said. "When I saw what was happening ... I got very concerned. That is absolutely what inspired me to get involved."

So, she's decided to run for the District 8 seat herself.

Although the district has previously favored conservative candidates, she said statistics indicate an electorate that could welcome a moderate.

"In the 2022 election, the (Grand Valley State University) precinct was underrepresented in terms of their turnout — and I suspect that may change in a presidential election," she said.

She will face Ottawa Impact Republican Sylvia Rhodea, a co-founder of the group and current chair on the board.

"I think that, given the chance to hear another message — a message of fiscal responsibility and good governance — people will respond to that and I think people are willing to listen to that," she added. "In many cases, there's not that much daylight between a moderate Republican and a moderate Democrat. And I think if we're doing our jobs right, we should be willing to work with anybody who's willing to work with us."

If elected, Patrick aims to restore trust and transparency in county government — a theme she's vocalized in the dozens of public comments she's given.

"I've heard many, many other people comment they don't trust the board majority we have right now, and I think that's highly important in government."

Patrick would like to see the county revise its rules and bylaws to prevent the transparency problems that plague the current board. Another priority is welcoming dialogue with commissioners who hold positions that differ from her own.

"It's very important to make sure that all viewpoints are heard. Right now, we have a situation where the board minority is silenced, more or less in terms of committee work," she said, referring to current Board Chair Joe Moss' decision to assign OI commissioners to far more standing committees than non-OI officials.

"That could be addressed by something in the board rules that would explain how the committees are formed," Patrick said. "Or how does something get on the agenda? What is the process for that? Do you have to beg and plead? Or can you just follow a process and be assured that a commissioner can get an item on the agenda? That's the way it should be."

Patrick holds a bachelor's degree in education from Wheaton College. She's married to her husband of 40 years, with one son and daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.

She worked as regional director for the combined departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality. She said her responsibilities included bringing together leaders from divergent groups to find common ground on natural resource use and regulation.

"I spent a lot of time negotiating with people, meeting with people and listening to them," she said. "I spent a lot of time bringing those concerns forward to the state legislature. That was a good experience, and I think it fits me very well for a job like this where you have to listen to people — you have to find ways of finding common ground."

For more information, visit patrick4ottawa.com.

District 9: Angela Stanford-Butler

Includes: Grand Haven Charter Township, Robinson Township, Spring Lake Township: Precinct 5

Stanford-Butler wants voters in District 9 to have choices at the ballot box in November.

She remembers November 2022, when she had one Republican choice for county commissioner.

"I looked at my ballot, and I just couldn't believe it. We weren't even in the fight. There were no options. And I thought: 'This isn't right. This isn't what democracy is about.'"

That's why the Democrat is running for a spot on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners this year.

"It's about having a choice and about being free to make that choice," she said "There are places where you can live where you don't have that choice at all. So I thought, 'What can I do? Because I don't ever want to see this again.' I'm happy to step up."

Stanford-Butler said she's deeply concerned over decisions made by the Ottawa Impact majority on the current board.

"It's the decisions that were made," she said. "It's the approach and the style of government, because they ran on transparency, but there's no transparency there."

Stanford-Butler said OI operates in lockstep with Moss, without room for thoughtful discourse in public meetings.

"It's clearly follow the leader," she said. "I don't hear ideas, and it's just not good governance. It's one guy saying, 'Here's what we're gonna do.' And even as he feigns concern for everybody to speak, he's not listening. He comes in with the decisions that are made and he's got the majority, and he knows that, and he's just humoring everyone."

And the decisions being made are deeply problematic, she said.

"The fiscal irresponsibility started on day one — and we're in it deep," she said. "How can they still stand behind every decision they've made, costing the community a fortune? It's not them who's going to pay it back. It's all of us."

Stanford-Butler will face traditional Republican Phil Kuyers, who defeated OI incumbent Roger Belknap in the August primary.

If elected, Stanford-Butler said her plan boils down to protect and prevent.

"You have to think about repairing the damage done," she said. "We've got to start planning for the future. Then we have to protect the things that are important: our community, our at-risk members, we've got environmental issues, our water aquifers are not recharging, our AAA bond rating — all of these things are at risk and we have to plan for the protection of all of it and prevent this sort of thing from happening again."

Other priorities are improving transparency, both locally and at the state level, and restoring a focus on inclusion.

"If I can do something on day one, and wave my wand, it would bring back the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department. It's supported by the businesses, all of our industries — they've got skin in the game, and that's why it's important," she said. "Diversity is important. It's important to everyone. It's not something to be afraid of, because whoever's telling you it is is trying to scare you."

Stanford-Butler said the push for ideological posturing rather than enacting policies with measurable outcomes has damaged Ottawa County's reputation and financial position.

"Part of the financial situation is obviously due to the losses that they just are tripping over that they can't stop themselves from creating, but to willingly turn down grants and funding that our county employees worked hard to get just because there's a non-discrimination clause ... that's spiteful, that's playground politics," she said. "There's no excuse for that."

For more information, visit angelaforottawa.org.

District 10: Oliver Shampine

Includes: City of Ferrysburg, City of Grand Haven, Spring Lake Township: Precincts 1-4 and 6

Shampine might be 21, but he’s been in politics since an early age.

“I got invested after high school, and I was pretty upset with just how things were running, and so I wanted to do something,” he said.

When he started volunteering for local candidate campaigns, he found a true connection to his fellow residents.

“That was what I learned what politics should be — not just knocking on doors, but face-to-face contact, where I'm talking to someone for an hour and we're actually finding what issues they see in the world or what things they'd like to see,” Shampine said. “And that conversation doesn't happen enough often.”

The Grand Valley State University student is pursuing a degree in public administration with a minor in sociology.

He will face traditional Republican Josh Brugger in the general election, who defeated OI Republican Jason Koert in the GOP primary.

He said people shouldn’t discount a younger candidate, as a high priority should be placed on incentivizing young people to stay in Ottawa County.

“I’ve been told: ‘You're too young. You should probably finish college. Maybe you should do the planning commission before you run for this. And so, for me, a lot of it was slowing me down. Just because I'm young, does not mean I can't do this job,” he said.

“I actually think a young perspective is pretty helpful because whether or not people want to agree, a lot of younger people are a lot more open-minded and are willing to even share perspectives that they don't agree with. And I think that is something that is so essential to politics.”

Shampine said it’s disheartening that all the impressive things he’s seen in Ottawa County have been “wiped away … in a matter of weeks.”

“That made me mad. We need to do something about this. I want someone that actually is going to really fight against it, not let things slide,” Shampine said. “Politics is so essential, and it's so frustrating as a young person to see politics run by a lot of people that don't actually seem to care about the part of politics that has to do with people and we lose that somehow.”

He said he’s impressed by the pushback he’s seen of those working against OI.

“You have to take a stand because if we don't do it now, there's going to be a point where we can't even take a stand because they'll have enough power or influence to make us irrelevant, and I don't want to see a day like that,” Shampine said. “We really can change things if we actually come together. Let's bring as many people as we can together. Let's give them power. Let's say we want to hear your voice and let's listen to them.”

If elected, Shampine said he would like to see the restoration of the county’s DEI department.

“Not only do I support it, but businesses supported it. It helped bring more tourism, it helped bring more experienced people, it helped bring more businesses that want to invest here,” he said.

He also would like to see a nationwide search for a new administrator — as the county faces hiring its fifth one in three years to restore the county to a place of good governance.

“We need someone with experience who is willing to work with both sides of the aisle,” Shampine said.

Other pillars of his campaign include reinvesting in the county’s public and mental health departments.

“I want to work with the staff to assure that we are adequately serving and giving them the money that they need. We want staff to keep coming here, and that they see more opportunities than beyond one job, and that this is a place that wants to support and build them up,” he said.

Shampine also would like to explore ways to make transportation resources a priority for residents.

“How do people access their mental health services, their food, they want to get their job — how do they get to all that if they don't have transportation?” he said. “Not everyone can afford a car, not everyone can afford gas.”

He said he would like to see local public transportation systems, such as Macatawa Area Express in Holland and Harbor Transit in Grand Haven connect to each other’s routes and expand service hours.

“I'd like to eventually say that we can get you to Holland, we can get you to Grand Rapids, we can get you to Allendale, you can get to your schooling, you can get to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital or the grocery store,” he said. “I think it's a duty of our county to work together with the other counties to help provide those services.”

Other priorities include working with farmers to support sustainable energy efforts while providing them with additional revenues.

“We obviously wouldn't want to slam down and put solar panels there, but there are areas of their land that they own that don’t wield a high-profit margin or are actually negative,” Shampine said. “If they decided to build solar panels there, they could first rely on themselves a little bit more and two, have another way to make more money, because they'd make excess energy they could sell off, which would be just another way to generate revenues for them.”

Finally, Shampine would like to see more housing — built fairly and responsibly — would help ease skyrocketing prices.

“I think the issue is people are so hesitant to build more housing, but the problem is we do not have enough housing in Ottawa County. We don't really have enough housing in the entire country. It needs to be built,” he said. “How I see that is mixed-income apartment buildings, mixed-income duplexes.”

He said building low-income developments is a short-term solution that often leads to eventual deterioration and the segregation of certain populations.

“That's why I say ‘mixed-income,’” he said. “I'd like people to live together. We should be communicating together.”

He explained that zoning is one of the biggest barriers to responsible development.

“Zoning is one of the biggest things that stops things from even starting, so I'd like to work and see what we can do,” he said. “It's called inclusionary zoning. Most places right now use exclusionary zoning. Throughout America, I'd like to build more inclusionary zoning laws, including allowing accessory development units, which means even your garage theoretically could be turned into a little apartment.”

He said municipal leaders often beat the drum of single-family homes, but that not everyone wants that.

“Not everyone wants a giant house. Not everyone needs every amenity that comes with an apartment,” he said. “So, I think it's just building more opportunities for housing, whatever it looks like: loosening the rules — not so that they can be abused, and people don't follow basic standards — so that we allow supply to build up, instead of be stuck in this area where it's not sustainable for people.

He said working on creative solutions to bring costs down will help stem the exodus of college graduates from the county.

“College students really can't afford to live here, and we want these educated people to come back,” he said. “First, we need to make it a welcoming place, and second, make it an affordable place. I think this place could become a new standard for what politics could look like in all kinds of different avenues.”

For more information, visit olivershampine.com.

District 11: Keith Courtade

Includes: Chester Township, City of Coopersville, Crockery Township, Polkton Charter Township, Tallmadge Charter Township, Wright Township

Contact information was not available for Courtade. He has not responded to local media interview and questionnaire requests and does not have a campaign website.

Courtade previously ran for the 28th District Michigan State Senate seat but lost in the general election to Republican Mark Huizenga, according to MLive.

He will face Ottawa Impact Republican Allison Miedema in the general election on Nov. 5.

— Contact Sarah Leach at SentinelLeach@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach. Subscribe to her content at sentinelleach.substack.com.

Sentinel Leach

Discussion about this post