OLIVE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, May 26, 2023) – It has been five months since the makeup of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners had changed.
Voters replaced eight of the 11 members of the governing panel last November, and those eight, along with one incumbent, were supported by the Ottawa Impact political action group, whose two co-founders, Joe Moss and Sylvia Rhodea, were not only elected to the board, they became its chairman and vice chairwoman, respectively. Since then, the commissioners have replaced the county administrator and county legal counsel, changed the county motto, eliminated the diversity office, and attempted to name a new chief medical officer, an effort that has come under legal challenge. The new board has been accused of violating the state’s open meetings act in its initial work.
While the board’s actions have drawn praise from some, others have been more vocal in their objections, and this past Tuesday evening’s business meeting, which went over seven hours and ended in the early morning of Wednesday, was the latest in a series of lengthy sessions. The board passed a resolution declaring Ottawa County a “constitutional county” during that meeting.
Could all this continue over the next 18 months, before the board members come up for reelection in November of 2024? Second district Commissioner Doug Zylstra of Holland, sidestepped that question when asked during a Thursday appearance on “WHTC Talk of the Town.”
Zylstra and Republican Roger Bergman of Grand Haven were the only two incumbent commissioners able to retain their seats in the face of Ottawa Impact opposition.
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