The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday this week. This was our second meeting of 2025 and was about 10 hours long. We discussed items like:
– Appointing an Interim County Administrator
– Committee and Board Structure
– Prayer & Public Comments
Overall Assessment
We had a good meeting with collaboration, discussion, and debate. The Chair and Vice Chair did a good job of facilitating conversation and encouraging all members to use their voices. Board members got along more than not, and are looking for ways to work together.
Discussion and Collaboration
There was robust discussion for nearly 10 hours. We had a break for lunch and the commissioners ate pizza and salad. Everyone split up into various places, in sub-quorum groups, and commissioners avoided talking about county business. Instead, we used the time to chat about family, work, life, etc.
The meeting continued after lunch and ended before 7:00 PM. Commissioners came to consensus on dozens and dozens of items. Everyone seemed fairly pleased with the final outcomes, which is a testament of extremely robust discussion.
Republican Form of Government
The citizens of Michigan are guaranteed a republican form of government by the US and Michigan Constitutions. Power ultimately rests in the hands of the citizens, who choose their elected leaders.
During the meeting, commissioners asked many questions, and talked about complex topics and concepts. I enjoy going beyond the motions on the agenda, and will continue to dig deeper into the principles and purpose of agenda items.
This is the role of a County Commissioner, to represent his/her district well, uphold the law, and protect The People’s unalienable rights. There should be no rubber stamping. Proper governance requires critical thought.
Vote – Interim Administrator
The first action item on the agenda was to appoint Gary Rosema as Interim County Administrator. I spoke to Mr. Rosema and Chair Teeples at length about this item leading up to the board meeting, and I appreciated the conversations.
The county needs an Interim Administrator, and it would be helpful to have someone appointed who knows staff members and is familiar with county operations. Mr. Rosema served as Ottawa County Sheriff for over 20 years, from 1993 to 2016. He is familiar with staff and operations.
2020 Covid Lawyer – Doug Van Essen
During his time as Sheriff, Mr. Rosema worked closely with an attorney named Doug Van Essen. Doug Van Essen is the lawyer who advised the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners during their response to Covid. (One commissioner was told if he questioned the health department, he would “lose everything” including his home.)
Van Essen has demonstrated a pattern of ignoring the law, toxicity to constituents, willingness to abuse government power to threaten citizens, lying, and more.
He has also published false statements in the Holland Sentinel about currently elected commissioners.
During my conversations with Mr. Rosema and Chair Teeples, I was informed there has been discussion of re-hiring Doug Van Essen for Ottawa County, even though he was fired after government overreach against the people.
I told them I do not support moving in that direction, and felt it was best to take a stand publicly on the issue by using my voice to speak against it and voting no on this agenda item.
Vote – 2025 Board and Committee Meeting Times
The county commission decided to change meeting times and consolidate meetings to two days per month. There will be one day for committees, and one day for the board meeting. The schedule and agenda can be found here: https://boards.miottawa.org/board/board-of-commissioners/
Commissioner Comments
There were a few other items on the agenda like deposit resolutions and appointments. After those items were finished we had an opportunity for commissioner comments. Since we had started at 9:00 AM and the meeting was wrapping up around 6:45 PM, I decided to save my commissioner comments for the next meeting.
Abraham Lincoln
Last week I mentioned a quote by President Lincoln:
“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
—Abraham Lincoln
Truth is absolute and comes from God. God also created freedom, and man’s desire to be free and prosperous.
Another quote by Abraham Lincoln reads:
“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”
—Abraham Lincoln
I like this quote because it’s a reminder of the importance of always promoting freedom of expression, free speech, freedom of conscience, and equality. All people are made in the image of God, and are inherently valuable. God gave us our natural rights, we do not receive rights from government.
In the world of politics and government, we operate in the realm of ideas.
Our decisions impact 300,000 people living in Ottawa County. My promise to the people is to continue using common sense to prioritize freedom, and to be an example of faith and courage in the public square.
“We must be ruthless with ideas, but gentle with people.”
—Father Robert Sirico
