Letters to the Editor

Nancy DeBoer an excellent candidate

Please consider voting for Nancy DeBoer as our Michigan 86th district representative in Lansing.

As a former two-term mayor of Holland and a four-term Holland City Council member at large before that Nancy has acquired a tremendous experience working with people from all walks of life. She has excellent skills bringing people together to get things done in a pragmatic and expeditious manner.

As a former Holland mayor Nancy raised significant private funds for several city projects like the Civic Center expansion and renovation, and the residential/business revitalization of the West Eighth Street segment of the downtown area, while minimizing the use of taxpayers' money.

As a former school teacher, Nancy is a strong advocate of school choice and parental oversight as part of the checks and balances in our K-12 education system.

An avid promoter of clean energy Nancy DeBoer actively supported legislative ideas for cleaning and preserving the ecosystems of Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan that directly impacted the Holland area. Under her mayoral leadership Holland converted its power plant from coal to a much cleaner natural gas source.

Nancy DeBoer's integrity and honesty, and her strong belief in serving the Holland area community with humility and understanding makes her in my opinion, an ideal person to represent 86th District in Lansing.

Mihai CraioveanuHolland

Kraus an excellent choice for judge

Paul Kraus is an excellent choice for judge in the newly created Ottawa County 20th Circuit Court.

This judge will handle cases involving children and families. Paul has the experience and temperament to make him an outstanding family law judge. For the past 17 years, Paul has prosecuted cases involving child abuse and neglect. He is committed to protecting children and handling families with compassion and dignity.

Without hesitation, I endorse Paul Kraus for Circuit Court Judge.

Susan JonasRetired 58th District Court Judge, Spring Lake

Investigating the resources to saving our youth

In response to “$5.5 million grant will strengthen mental health services in Ottawa County schools” written by Mitchell Boatman:

“If the extent of human suffering were used to decide which diseases deserve the most medical attention, then depression would be near the top of the list” Suicide prevention has historically been funded at one-third the amount of other leading causes of death. This generous grant could help fix that, but if dispersed poorly, it will go to waste.

In the 2019 Youth Assessment Survey taken by 6,649 high school students in Ottawa County, 19% reported having suicidal thoughts and 8% reported having attempted suicide. In the 2021 report, rates remained high and suicidal thoughts increased to 20%. Addressing mental health at the crucial development age during adolescence may decrease rates as the individual ages.

Amy Henry, a coordinator at the OAISD, used vague language, which is worrisome at most. She stated the $5.5 million will be allocated to making current systems more efficient, even though these current systems have shown little improvement as teen suicides and suicidal thoughts continue to rise in Ottawa County.

Our students need our help. The future of Ottawa County needs our help. Increased suicide rates year by year should not be “inspiring,” and frankly, our employees are not doing enough. School psychologists in Ottawa County are overwhelmed and cannot provide individualized approaches to preventitive care. In fact, only 14% of schools meet the benchmark ratio of 1:250 school psychologists to students as recommended by the American School Counselor Association.

With this generous grant, I implore Ottawa County to use it for action. As teens of Ottawa County, we are growing tired of seeing what ignorance is doing to our friends and communities. A detailed plan of allocation of the grant should be sent out to the school district and it should require approval and input from the community including its students.

Kennedy M. Boone-SautterHolland

Kraus a natural choice for new judge position

In February of this year, a fifth judicial position was added to the 20th Circuit Court.

This position is extremely important, and will impact many in Ottawa County more directly than any other position on the ballot. The judge elected to this position will preside over the family court — and will directly impact the lives of many of children and families. It is arguably the most impactful judicial position, with decisions that will govern families for years to come. That is why it is so important to have the very best candidate elected this fall.

As attorneys who actively practice in this court, we are often asked for our opinions/recommendations for judicial candidates as many in the general public are unfamiliar with the candidates.

For the following reasons, the candidate we endorse is Paul Kraus.

Experience: Hands down — experience matters.

• Paul Kraus has more than 17 years of experience. As an attorney in the attorney general’s office in Iowa, he worked in the area of abuse and neglect and helped protect children. Since moving to Michigan, he has practiced in both the private sector in the area of family law and in the prosecutor’s office as a Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the county as the Family Division Unit Director. Paul has spent his entire career working directly in the area he would be presiding in. He has seen, briefed, and worked through the vast majority of the issues that will be before him on a daily basis. Paul has appeared more than 1,000 times in Ottawa County Family Court.

• Mercedes Watts has had only five years of experience — barely enough to realize the breadth of what you don’t know. And her experience has bounced around between some family, but also landlord tenant, criminal prosecution, and most recently criminal defense. Her actual family court experience has been extremely limited, making for a significant learning curve. Mercedes has appeared 0 times in Ottawa County Family Court.

Judicial temperament: More than anything, litigants want to be heard. Paul Kraus is extremely thoughtful, even-tempered, and truly listens before making a judgment. Attorneys who practice with and against Paul know that he will not make any snap judgments, he will take the time needed to balance the facts with the law and have a fully supported decision.

Character and service: Paul and his family are very active in the Ottawa County community. He is a man of great integrity, intelligence, and common sense. He treats those he meets with respect.

For those of us who practice in the Ottawa County Family Court — the choice is abundantly clear — Paul Kraus is the only candidate with the qualifications to fill this position.

Mary MimsRachel TerpstraAnne TuinstraMichael Villar Christina Mayfield Mandi MartiniHolly Verde Kendra Ortega Belinda BarbierMichelle McLean Judy Bregman Nycolle Schindlbeck-FischerAlana Wiaduck Holly Verde Jennifer DeYoung

Why would I vote for Bill Huizenga?

Our U.S. House of Representative Bill Huizinga did not have the courage to stand up for American democracy from a fascist Trump coup attempt.

Instead, he participated in it by voting to not count electoral votes from a fair and free election. He refused to vote to remove Trump from office. He voted against laws to protect voting rights. What makes you think he will have the courage to stand up for democracy against the current GOP attacks or have the courage to oppose the next GOP president who wants to be a fascist dictator?

Don BergmanPark Township

Don't fall for Ottawa Impact candidates

Last week, I attended the League of Women’s Voters Holland Public Schools forum. I wanted to hear directly from Laurie Van’t Hof and Katie Staroba about their views on HPS and education. When I arrived, I learned they declined the league’s invitation to attend the forum, and speak directly to voters. So I took it upon myself to research Ms. Van’t Hof's and Ms. Staroba's views.

My first stop was their personal website where I discovered that they look exactly the same as every other Ottawa Impact endorsed candidate, with a list of identical position statements that have nothing to do with Holland Public Schools. It made me wonder if Ms. Van’t Hof and Ms. Staroba know anything about HPS and its unique circumstances.

Also, because their websites are identical, it made me wonder if Ms. Van’t Hof and Ms. Staroba think for themselves? Or will they be beholden to some nebulous, nameless political action committee leader(s) who created, developed and paid for their candidacy?

Personally, I do not want or need every HPS school board member to think exactly the same. But I certainly want school board members to be independent, critical thinkers who try to understand how their decisions will impact the community. What I have seen from Ms. Van’t Hof and Ms. Staroba is an unwillingness to engage voters directly while supporting some cookie cutter sound bite positions created by a third party.

Ultimately, it signals to me an unwillingness to be accountable for their own ideas and viewpoints. I certainly will not be voting for them.

Matthew VanZettenHolland

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Don't fall for Ottawa Impact candidates