PAC backing far-right candidates for Ottawa County's board fails to file campaign finance forms

Sarah Leach, The Holland Sentinel
·3 min read
Campaign signs for Republican Candidate for County Commissioner Joe Moss sits Thursday, July 21, 2022, along 121 near Zeeland.
Campaign signs for Republican Candidate for County Commissioner Joe Moss sits Thursday, July 21, 2022, along 121 near Zeeland.

OTTAWA COUNTY — As the races heat up for Ottawa County's Board of Commissioners, so is the spending from the candidates and its backers.

Where much of the money is coming from is still unclear, however, as a Jenison-based political advocacy group has not yet filed the required documentation with the county.

The deadline for filing campaign finance reports for candidates and political action committees for the period of January-July were due at 5 p.m. Friday, July 22. Nearly all the Republican incumbents seeking re-election for county commissioner met the deadline; their Republican challengers backed by Ottawa Impact did not.

The challengers filed, at least in part, by Monday evening.

Ottawa Impact had not filed its financial documents with the county clerk's office as of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. The penalty for not filing the completed financial disclosures — which itemize donations as well as expenditures for candidates and PACs — starts at $25 per business day. After three days, the fines increase to $50 a day; after 10 days, they increase to $75 a day with a maximum of $1,000, per the Ottawa County Clerk's Office.

Ottawa Impact was formed in 2021 by parents and residents critical of the state and local government’s response to containing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

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The August primary will determine a large part of the board’s makeup. Of the 11-member commission, 10 are Republicans; Ottawa Impact is fielding candidates for 9 of those 10 seats. Primary-race victors will face Democratic opponents in only three of those nine races, meaning the primary will decide the winner of at least six commission seats.

All of the Ottawa Impact-backed candidates listed donations from Ottawa Impact PAC and its affiliate, Ottawa Impact Education PAC, ranging anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars.

More: Republican field crowded in many Holland-area races

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Because the PACs have not filed campaign finance disclosure reports, it is not known where the funding from the group is sourced.

Ottawa Impact raised more than $70,000 through December 2021, the last reporting period for donations and expenditures.

Campaign signage for Republican candidates for County Commissioner Roger Belknap and Sylvia Rhodea sit Thursday, July 21, 2022, near Jenison.
Campaign signage for Republican candidates for County Commissioner Roger Belknap and Sylvia Rhodea sit Thursday, July 21, 2022, near Jenison.

Another PAC, TGIF Victory Fund PAC, made significant contributions to the Ottawa Impact-backed candidates. That group raised more than $100,000 in 2022, primarily from by Daniel Hibma, a prominent West Michigan developer and lead supporter in a controversial push to dredge the Grand River in 2019.

The other major donor of the TGIF Victory Fund was Harold Voorhees, a former Kent County commissioner.

Ottawa County recently launched an online public portal for viewing campaign finance documents. View the documents at ottawacountymi.easyvotecampaignfinance.com/home/publicfilings.

The commission race that drew the most money, by far, is District 10, the seat where Republican incumbent Roger Bergman faces Ottawa Impact-backed Jenni Shepherd-Kelley, as well as Republican Thomas Elhart.

Bergman raised $22,599 in the last reporting period, totaling $23,099 for the election cycle. Shepherd-Kelley raised $12,359 in the last reporting period, also the total for the cycle. Elhart raised $5,020 in the last reporting period, also the total for the cycle.

Two candidates received waivers for the current reporting period: Republican incumbent Randy Meppelink in District 5 and Republican newcomer James Steigenga, who is seeking the seat in District 7 after Republican James Holtvluwer decided not to seek re-election.

A candidate committee that does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000 for an election can obtain a reporting waiver. A committee that maintains a waiver is exempt from filing detailed campaign statements unless it exceeds the $1,000 threshold.

— Sarah Leach is editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa Impact PAC fails to file campaign finance forms