Ottawa Impact notably absent at League of Women Voters meet-and-greet

OTTAWA COUNTY — Eighteen candidates for the Ottawa County Board were in attendance Thursday, April 18, for a meet-and-greet event hosted by the League of Women Voters in Zeeland.

The event gave candidates a three-minute platform to introduce themselves to a crowd of over 180 attendees, then time for one-on-one interactions.

At a time when all eyes are on Ottawa County — and Ottawa Impact — attendees flooded the Howard Miller Public Library to get a glimpse of who they'll vote for come August.

For resident Larry Larder, events like Thursday's are vital as voters look to make an informed decision.

“Either having the lack of information or a single viewpoint on a topic is just no way to make a decision,” Larder said. “Having all the candidates here and having the opportunity to do this ... (fills in) all the pieces you should be using to make your decision.”

Of the 18 candidates, only two incumbents participated: District 3’s Doug Zylstra and District 4’s Jacob Bonnema.

OI incumbents seeking re-election — Gretchen Cosby in District 1, Lucy Ebel in District 2, Joe Moss in District 5, Kendra Wenzel in District 6, Sylvia Rhodea in District 8, Roger Belknap in District 9 and Allison Miedema in District 11 — were not in attendance.

Incumbents Rebekah Curran and Roger Bergman are not seeking re-election.

Others in attendance included Jim Barry, Danielle Smith and Chris Vander Sys for District 1; Chris Kleinjans and Jordan Jorritsma for District 2; Chris Crothers for District 4; Mark Northrup for District 5; Shawn Haff for District 6; John Teeples for District 7; Rebecca Patrick for District 8; Phil Kuyers and and Angela Stanford-Butler for District 9; Josh Brugger and Douglas Van Bennekom for District 10; and Sara Bajema and Dick Van Dop for District 11.

Many of the candidates echoed similar themes during their presentations, including the importance of fiscal responsibility, how they plan to rebuild the trust with the community, and the importance of following rules and protocols in decision-making.

Candidates emphasized that Ottawa County needs a refresh.

“We are better than this,” Northrup said. “This is not who we are. This is not the county that I want to be in. … We have a great county and I just hope that I can be the commissioner of the fifth district, work with my brothers and sisters up here and have a new future of goodness and kindness and empathy.”

Others voiced their displeasure at the direction the county has taken.

“I think that we as Ottawa County have forgotten and gotten confused about who we are,” Teeples said. "We have forgotten that we are a community that does not live in fear of our differences but lives in hope for what we are.”

Ebel will face a recall challenge from Kleinjans on May 7, though both seem prepared to face off again in November. The winner of the recall election will serve on the board for the remainder of 2024.

Voters will decide on party representatives on Aug. 6. As of Friday, April 19, there are contested Republican primaries in Districts 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, and no contested Democrat races.

There are single Democrats filed to run in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10.

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The deadline to file is Tuesday, April 23.

Those who earn party nominations in August will advance to the November election. Candidates chosen in November will serve a four-year term on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.

— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa Impact notably absent at League of Women Voters meet-and-greet