'Common goals': Republican candidate for District 1 wants to listen first, act second
EDITOR'S NOTE: Chris Vander Sys, Republican, withdrew his candidacy by the April 23 filing deadline.
OTTAWA COUNTY — Another Republican is joining the race to represent District 1 on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
Chris Vander Sys, 52, said he was inspired to run because he wants voters in his district to have choices in representation.
"In Ottawa County, there's currently a wall between the commission and the citizens of the community," he said. "This is not healthy. I completely believe that listening to the people that I represent, while not the only solution, is something missing that I can and will rectify once elected."
Vander Sys joins fellow Republican Jim Barry in the race for the seat, which represents Port Sheldon Township, Olive Township and most of Park Township.
Republican Gretchen Cosby, a first-term commissioner and member of far-right fundamentalist group Ottawa Impact, currently holds the seat. She hasn't indicated whether she plans to seek a second term.
The group, which formed in 2021 over frustrations with county and state COVID-19 mitigation measures, currently has a seven-seat controlling majority on the 11-member board and made a series of controversial decisions in 2023 that led to four ongoing lawsuits and a brief investigation from the state attorney general's office.
More: Non-OI Republicans announce candidacies for Ottawa County Board
A trained fighter pilot with the U.S. Air Force, Vander Sys retired from his military career in 2014 after 20 years of service. He's worked within USAF as an aviator, staff officer and program manager.
He said his time in the military provided invaluable experience working with diverse perspectives.
"I was fortunate to have worked with people from all walks of life," he said. "Working alongside my fellow airmen, other services and agencies, the White House, and servicemen and women from all around the world, I understand that perspectives and experiences are varied, but at the same time, most people can also have many shared experiences and some common goals."
Vander Sys said some actions and decisions made by the current board just don't seem right.
"Even if you don't always agree, you have to meet people where they are," he said. "You can still work together and agree to disagree — and with everything that keeps bubbling up, it just doesn't seem like that's what's happening."
Vander Sys also pointed to his experience working with big projects attached to big budgets, where accountability is key.
"Following processes and laws is important to assure that stewardship of these resources is wise and not squandered on expedience."
Vander Sys said he'd like to see county government return its focus to operations rather than ideology.
"My perception is that people feel like they're not being heard," he said. "And that's one thing I can do, at the very least. I'll be inexperienced when I start, but I can learn. The thing that I can control is being open to listening — that's one of the major things."
One place to start is making the county's standing committee appointments more equitable.
Joe Moss, founder of OI and current board chair, holds sole discretion on committee assignments. This year, they weighed heavily in favor of OI-backed commissioners.
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"It seems to me the constituents, people in the county, are not having their commissioners on certain committees and they're kind of losing their representation a little bit," Vander Sys said. "I think that would be something that I would revisit, to make sure that it makes more sense with even distribution of people around the county getting representation in those various spots."
Vander Sys currently works as a pilot for FedEx. He and his wife, Erica, have six children: Henry, 23; Josie, 21; Maggie, 19; Sophie, 14; Max, 13; and Kate, 7.
Stakes for county elections are higher than ever in 2024, after a change in state law lengthens terms from two years to four.
Dates to know
Tuesday, April 23: Filing deadline for Ottawa County candidates
Tuesday, May 7: Special recall election for District Two
Tuesday, Feb. 27: Michigan presidential primary
Tuesday, Aug. 6: Michigan primary election
Tuesday, Nov. 5: Michigan general election
— Sarah Leach is executive editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: 'Common goals': Republican candidate for District 1 wants to listen first, act second
