The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners ousted the county administrator and installed John Gibbs in the office amid a flurry of added agenda items, also replacing the top health officer and eliminating its Diversity and Inclusion Department, as well as the conservative board’s contingent.
Numerous newly appointed commissioners, who were elected in November, were sworn into office during the board’s inaugural meeting of the year, held on Tuesday amidst the reorganization.
Commissioners voted 6-3 to approve a resolution that fired John Shay as county administrator and appointed Gibbs to replace him effective immediately.
Hillary Scholten emerged victorious over him. He was vanquished by Democrat Hillary Scholten. In the previous year, he secured the Republican nomination to serve as the representative for Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District. Gibbs worked as a staff member in the administration of former President Donald Trump.
The proposal from Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea of Allendale Township was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the attendees of the meeting.
“John Gibbs intends to appoint Commissioners to the Board who will work transparently and collaboratively. These Commissioners will align fully with the leadership in our county and prioritize the needs of our voters. Rhodea stated, ‘We believe it is crucial to have Commissioners who respect and value our community. The change in leadership at the county’s administration is a clear reflection of what the voters desire.'”
Gibbs said she loved him very much, describing him as extremely overqualified and having strong support during the last elections year in the county.
Commissioner Roger Belknap, who serves the regions of Grand Haven Township, Robinson Township, and Spring Lake Township, expressed, “I firmly hold the belief that our current trajectory diverges from the previous one.” “I perceive a chance to commence anew,” moving towards a different path, influenced by his training and alignment with the previous board, I believe it is beneficial to involve him in that decision-making process.
Bergman said he was “appalled” by the motion to fire him and spoke out against it. Zylstra and Doug, Commissioners from the Tri-Cities area, unanimously hired Shay for his qualifications.
Rebekah Curran, Commissioner of Georgetown Township, stated that she believed Gibbs was an excellent candidate despite her initial doubts. She mentioned that she was “blindsided” by the motion and was not given the opportunity to vote. She also expressed her appreciation for Shay’s willingness to take a chance on him and acknowledged the potential benefits.
Since joining the county in March 2022, Shay has performed admirably, mentioning that Zylstra also appeared perplexed by the decision and questioning its rationale.
It so occurred in that way and in the sequence of events, I was disappointed by what happened. During the events, particularly on Tuesday evening at 8, Zylstra informed the news, “It was an incredibly disappointing meeting for me.”
For an extended period in Ottawa County, the combination of dismissing four crucial employees and implementing that dismissal by modifying an agenda without any prior public notification, I firmly believe will result in numerous adverse consequences.
He said that the county of Ottawa “feels sad” for its employees and “takes away” a lot of faith and confidence from the community.
Zylstra expressed that it will be extremely challenging to discover a significant amount of shared understanding following a meeting similar to today’s. He also mentioned that he will actively seek common ground with his colleagues to effectively cater to the needs of residents.
Gibbs provided concise remarks following the approval of his appointment, beginning with extending congratulations to the elected board members.
He declared, “At this very moment, the accomplishments of the Founding Fathers are something to be extremely proud of, and we are currently observing them with great admiration. It demonstrates that the people are still being led by those in power. We will continue to address and respond to the questions that are being asked. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for their prayers, particularly for the Ottawa County board.”
He continued to express that he would be responsible to the board.
“…Despite being the administrator, I do not have authority; the board has authority,” he stated.
Closure of the Department of Inclusivity
“Where you belong” is the statement that was passed by a 7-1 motion and added to the agenda during the meeting, in which Rhodea also added the resolution to hire Gibbs.
The motion that was passed with a 7-1 vote added another item to the agenda of the department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department in Holland Township. This department was created in 2018 with the goal of closing gaps and promoting diversity within the community.
Ebel expressed, “This practice entails discriminatory hiring based on race, which goes against the principles of equality.” While campaigning, Ebel came across anecdotes of individuals who applied for jobs and were informed that their race, being white, prevented them from being hired.
She stated that she assured her constituents that she would eliminate the DEI division.
The proposal did not receive a second. Zylstra proposed to refund the money to the contributors. The division was established with the assistance of private contributions.
“We are seated at this table today because we recognize that agenda as destructive to our community, which is why we’re changing the county motto. This is why it’s a divisive agenda. It affects our county, our children, and our people. That’s why we’re here today, effecting change. The donors really did get a lot of value for their money.” Said Rhodea.
The elimination of the office will not affect business, said Gibbs, but businesses like to do businesses in communities with DEI programs.
“We are going to be working with the sheriff’s department to ensure that everyone is working together to make affordable housing a priority and improve the quality of life. That’s why companies come here. We are going to continue to invest here because they want to have high-quality employees and provide a high quality of life for their employees,” Gibbs told News 8.
In a statement to News 8, Progressive Lakeshore expressed their deep shock and dismay over the decision.
The statement expressed, “This commission has set our county back 50 years in one single action.” “Initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion create a more inclusive environment for all and broaden the pool of talented individuals for our business community.” “We are shocked by the lack of foresight in this choice and worried about its implications for businesses and individuals in our county.”
In a Facebook post, the group had urged residents to participate in the Ottawa County Commission gathering on Tuesday.
There is a lot at risk. The support of the extreme right-wing political agenda by these dogmatic and inexperienced conservatives was funded by PAC Impact Ottawa. It is crucial to stay engaged and critically evaluate what is happening here in Ottawa County, as there are nine new extremist candidates running for Council-member 11. This was stated in the post by the Ottawa County Commission, emphasizing the importance of staying informed.
Before Hambley is replaced by Kelly as the Administrative Health Officer of the county, the state health department and the board need to give their approval for Kelly’s hiring. Commissioner Allison Miedema, who represents the northeastern part of the county, introduced the motion to remove Hambley and replace her with Kelly. The motion was approved with a vote of 7-1, and Hambley will temporarily hold the position.
The commissioners unanimously passed it. The resolution indicated that Driesenga’s role will be to coordinate with the chairs of the standing committees and report back to the commissioners. Commissioner Cosby from the northwestern part of the county added an agenda item to hire Cindy Driesenga as the new part-time administrative director for the Board of Commissioners.
Ottawa Impact, the conservative political action committee, endorsed a majority of Republicans who now make up the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
I believe that the culmination of a lot of people, a lot of involved voters, was a groundswell of votes that led us to this point, the results of our election this year. It’s something I know happened before in Ottawa County, but never at this level. Roger Belknap, who represents Grand Haven, Spring Lake, and Robinson townships, was one of the Republican Commissioners that a “lot of voters” were involved in.
The featured speaker at the free lunch hosted by Impact Ottawa, the conservative Christian organization in Ottawa County, urged pastors to directly encourage parents to pull their kids from public schools that were indoctrinating children against God. Investigators attended the event, which gained attention in 2021 when an anti-vaccine group was allowed to march in the Memorial Day parade in Georgetown Township.
Joe LaFurgey, Lucas Stier, and Madalyn Buursma from News 8 contributed to this report.
We apologize for the error that has been resolved. The mistake in the previous version of this article was regarding the day of the meeting and was made while referring to a Facebook post.