Letters to the Editor
How did these fringe candidates take over Ottawa County?
What is wrong with Ottawa County voters? They elected fringe candidates to the 2023 Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, and now are reaping what they have sown.
Nine Republicans were elected that are part of Ottawa Impact, a far-right Republican group. However, it should be noted that seven out of the 11 commissioner races were uncontested in the general election. The "Ottawa Impact" group claims to be about "individual freedoms, parental rights, and American values." The "individual freedom" claim comes from anti-masking and even an anti-vaxxer stance.
Looking at all-time COVID-19 numbers for Ottawa County, there were less than 1,000 deaths out of about 87,000 known COVID cases. This constitutes a 1% death rate, lower than the 1.4% death rate statewide, and lower than the 1.1% nationwide. This shows that the prior Ottawa County health director did a good job on controlling the pandemic. One wonders how many more deaths would have occurred if control was under the new anti-vaxxer health director.
Good luck to citizens of Ottawa County should another pandemic occur.
The "sexualization of children" catch-phrase, a non-existent scare tactic that worked to drive more ignorant voters toward these extremist candidates, helped propel these rogue candidates into office. Teachers have a controlled curriculum to teach, and the "sexualization" subject is non-existent. Book-burning crowds remind me of Eva Braun and the Nazi days in Germany. Hard to believe that in 2023, within Ottawa County, we have a lot of Eva Brauns. In reality, the newly elected commissioners have an agenda that they, themselves, cannot control in whole.
The state, thankfully, can ensure that the rogue Ottawa County stays in line, and the majority of the voters in the state have made sure that control exists. In the meantime, others will be paying attention to their actions.
Clint ReamerGrant
Support local journalism
In this era of half-truths, deception and outright lies, it is vital that we support local papers such as The Holland Sentinel.
By now, we are likely all familiar with George Santos, a newly seated member of Congress who lied his way into office. His fraud was largely unquestioned, save for the North Shore Leader, the hometown newspaper of the long Island area Santos will now serve. The North Shore Leader raised red flags that were ignored by larger media outlets until it was too late.
As events continue to unfold in Ottawa County, The Holland Sentinel will use the power of the First Amendment to pursue the truth, demand transparency and provide fact-based analysis. It also serves as a venue for civil discourse and is a place for divergent opinions to be aired respectfully. Bridge Michigan is another good source.
I am grateful for the responsible journalism The Sentinel provides.
Mark DobiasPark Township
Regardless of our political leanings, I firmly believe most citizens of Ottawa County expect county business to be conducted in an above-board, responsible manner.
On that note, I would like to publicly thank Ottawa County Commissioners Bergman, Bonnema, Curran, Terpstra and Zylstra for voting in favor of re-opening the process of soliciting bids for the position of legal counsel at the Jan. 10 board meeting. Engaging in an open bid process would be how responsible government works.
Unfortunately, the other board members seem to prefer to operate in secrecy and voted to award a no-bid contract to a law firm with alleged ties to the board chair. “Might makes right” and “the ends justify the means” seem to be their operating philosophies. So much for the “transparency” that they crowed about during their campaigns.
It is my hope that the five commissioners noted above will continue to find ways to come together to do what is best for the county, as a whole. It would be nice if the others would exhibit some principles of good governance and join them.
Deborah BeamishHolland
104 Grandview Avenue
Holland
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: How did these fringe candidates take over Ottawa County?
