'Light at the end of the tunnel': Hudsonville mayor will challenge Joe Moss

HUDSONVILLE — Hudsonville Mayor Mark Northrup wants constituents to know his bid for the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners is less about his opponent and more about "righting the ship."

The three-term mayor recently declared he'll seek the District 5 seat, currently held by fellow Republican and incumbent Joe Moss.

"I don't choose to make this a mandate so much about Joe Moss as it probably will become," Northrup told The Sentinel. "It needs to be about moving the county forward. I don't want to fixate on Joe Moss, but we all know this is going to be the outcome — and we are polar opposites."

Moss, 38, is the current chair of the commission and founder of far-right fundamentalist group Ottawa Impact, which claims to "defend parental rights" and "thwart tyranny."

The group assumed a controlling majority in January 2023 and made headlines locally and nationally in the months after. The board's choices have resulted in at least four lawsuits, an investigation from Attorney General Dana Nessel, the pending recall of an OI commissioner and deep funding cuts to the county's health department.

Moss has not yet filed for re-election, and has never responded to The Sentinel's requests for comment.

The district represents Blendon Township, the city of Hudsonville, Jamestown Township and a small part of Zeeland Township.

Northrup, 66, said he's an experienced professional who promotes good governance.

"It's that simple. I'm accessible. I talk to people. I try to be kind and thoughtful and I make mistakes. I'll admit to them. It's all a two-way street."

Moss has drawn criticism from some residents for not representing diverse viewpoints.

"Maybe he'll have an epiphany and realize it's time for him to leave," Northrup said. "I can only pray that he has some self-awareness that he's not liked."

Northrup said residents aren't happy with the direction of the current board.

"People are angry, and that's not healthy; they're suspect, and that's not good for us," he said. "We need to have calm government. We need to be thoughtful, we need to be appropriate. We need to not have hidden agendas and virtue signaling and all the other stuff and bias. It just needs to stop, because no one's winning."

Northrup said he doesn't take his candidacy lightly.

"It's easy to be on the outside being critical. It'd be a lot easier to just continue being the mayor of a great city with great commissioners and a great staff and moving a city forward that has a good vision for itself," he said. "But somebody needs to stand up and say we need to change."

Northrup isn't concerned if Moss opts to run for re-election.

"I'm not one to cower," he said.

If elected, Northrup said he'd prioritize county employees and business leaders, making sure they're "respected and listened to and valued."

"We hire them for that reason" he said. "We need to respect the professionals we have — not just the county staff, but in the business community."

He said the current board has erred by hiring people without the proper qualifications and experience. Also at the top of the list? Restoring funding for the health department.

"We need to restore the health department to their previous budget," Northrup said. "We need people out there inspecting restaurants, chasing down STD problems in the community. We need outreach to people that aren't cared for. That is a function of government, and we need to restore that."

A commissioned officer in the Coast Guard, Northrup has worked as a ship driver, field service manager, business owner and veterans disability advocate, among other things. He has more than 20 years of experience in the manufacturing sector at companies like Gentex, Motorola and Siemens.

Northrup was first appointed to the Hudsonville City Commission in 2013. He was elected mayor in 2015 and re-elected to a third term in November. He previously challenged fellow Republican Brad Slagh in 2020 for the 90th District State House seat.

Northrup said he has a proven track record as a conservative.

"I have taken the oath to the constitution many times in my life, and I will again — that's who I am," he said. "But we also have to understand the culture has changed, and we need to understand the demographics have changed."

Northrup is married with two children, one of whom has developmental disabilities, which he said has brought a unique perspective.

"I think that we tend, in our culture, to maybe minimize those people," he said. "I think we need to understand that there is that vulnerable population that needs to be loved, too. The county has some responsibility there."

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Northrup said the county is at a crossroads.

"We are on the extremes of our leadership," he said. "I just want to give people hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel."

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: 'Light at the end of the tunnel': Hudsonville mayor will challenge Joe Moss