Ottawa County GOP censures Bonnema, in part for claims against Gibbs

OTTAWA COUNTY — The Ottawa County Republican Party has formally censured a county representative more likely than most to work across party lines.

"The OCRP formally censures Commissioner Jacob Bonnema for opposing Republican Party principles, and for his frivolous, meritless claim against Administrator John Gibbs," the party announced on its website Wednesday, June 21.

Bonnema, District 4, has been outspoken in recent months against Ottawa Impact, the far-right fundamentalist group that helped get him elected last fall, citing differing views in governance, transparency and policy.

Bonnema publicly split with the group in March after tense exchanges during public meetings with Ottawa Impact co-founder Joe Moss and other OI-affiliated commissioners. In a statement, Bonnema said he ran to serve the people in his community and added Ottawa Impact no longer aligned with his values.

"In 2022, I ran to serve the people of the City of Zeeland, Zeeland Township, and Holland Township," Bonnema wrote. "I ran on the values of government transparency and accountability and respect for parental rights. At the time, these same values appeared to be aligned with the Ottawa Impact PAC. Unfortunately, some of the PAC’s leaders, who now lead the county commission, have not acted in strict accordance with some of these values."

The next day, Bonnema had a verbal altercation with Gibbs during a public meeting, when Gibbs told Bonnema to "get out of my face." The exchange was overheard by a reporter from local ABC affiliate WZZM 13, which reported on the incident the same day.

Two weeks later, Bonnema requested Human Resources Director Marcie VerBeek open a disciplinary investigation into Gibbs after what Bonnema described as a "threatening outburst."

Bonnema told VerBeek that "if Gibbs is willing to speak to commissioners in this way, then he is very likely to treat the employees and citizens of Ottawa County in similar fashion."

More: 'Get out of my face': Ottawa administrator's behavior 'threatening,' commissioner claims

The censure comes two weeks after that investigation was completed by Grand Rapids-based law firm Mika Meyers.

VerBeek, in a written response to Bonnema, said the evidence gathered during the investigation "did not substantiate the claim of harassment" and said "the findings indicate that there was no violation of our organization's harassment policy or any applicable laws."

In its censure, the Ottawa GOP stripped Bonnema of his voting rights — he is a member of the party's executive committee — for the next six meetings. The resolution accused him of "defrauding" his District 4 constituents for supporting "tyrannical medical mandates" and "eroding the public trust in the Republican-led Board of Commissioners and Republican Party," among other charges.

"The OCRP believes that Commissioner Bonnema's consistent actions against fellow Republicans is a growing pattern," the censure read. "The OCRP condemns the actions of Commissioner Jacob Bonnema, which have been used to advance the cause of the Democratic Party in Ottawa County."

In support of the claims, the Ottawa GOP published a list of "violations of Republican Party principles" allegedly made by Bonnema.

The addendum cited Bonnema's request in late January of Health Officer Adeline Hambley to create a panel where commissioners and other community stakeholders would be able to give input before future emergency health orders are issued.

“It’s currently set up that when there’s a pandemic or something of that nature — that the decisions for mandates resides squarely on your shoulders as the health officer. And that’s a huge responsibility — it affects a lot of people,” Bonnema said to Hambley. “Any further discussion on that topic — is that something you’d like to pursue?”

Hambley responded, “I think it’s always good to have more people weighing in. … I certainly think that would be valuable.”

The Ottawa GOP also criticized Bonnema for voting three times "in concert" with the commission's lone Democrat Doug Zylstra, which "delayed Republican-led objectives," according to the censure addendum. "This is but one example of consistent camaraderie between Bonnema and Zylstra, in active opposition to the majority of the Republican board."

In a Twitter post, Zylstra said he was "disappointed to see my colleague Commissioner Bonnema censured by the Ottawa GOP, in part because we have a good working relationship. Working across party lines should be a plus, not a motive for censure."

Bonnema responded to the censure in a statement late Wednesday, saying he's not beholden to any political party, but to the residents of his district.

"The Ottawa GOP censure simply limits my participation at county-level GOP executive committee meetings and will have no impact on my commitments or voting as a commissioner," Bonnema wrote. "I pray the Ottawa GOP establishment can return to its conservative roots and its primary purpose, so we can get back to supporting winning candidates, like me, and winning future elections.”

Bonnema described himself as a "common-sense conservative who is known for being a rugged individualist and proud to represent the hardworking, honest individuals who value their liberty and freedom."

He said he has worked to "listen to the people’s voice and vote honestly and consistently with the values of this thriving county. I will continue to fight for common sense conservative values and principles to be the standard by which we do the business of the county. I work for no political party or special interest group; I work for the people of Ottawa County."

Bonnema said he is a proponent of government transparency, the sanctity of life, the Second Amendment, fiscal responsibility and "competency with ideology," among other things.

He said he opposes medical mandates, limiting free speech, no bid/non-cancelable contracts, wasteful spending, "virtue signaling/activism" and "group think."

"I was elected, as were others on the county commission, by the people who sought change, rational leadership, transparency in government and assurance that Ottawa County would lead with the interests of the people first," Bonnema said.

"We were elected to return trust in county government. It is my desire to rebuild that trust in our elected officials by advocating for transparency, fiscal responsibility, and good governance."

This isn't the first time the Ottawa GOP has censured its own members.

In July 2022, the GOP executive committee censured six of the Republican incumbents on the former county board for participating in voter forums hosted by nonpartisan local groups. The committee accused the commissioners of "publicly embracing Democratic interference in the Republican primary," a charge the incumbents vehemently denied.

All but one of the six who were censured lost their seats to Ottawa Impact challengers in August, giving the group a de facto majority in January.

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The turmoil continued locally and statewide, as conservatives grappled with how to move forward in the post-Donald Trump era. In the end, the party’s ultraconservative members were successful in ascending to leadership positions, forcing many traditional, moderate Republicans out.

The county party was forced to redo its annual convention — where its executive committee is selected — after some GOP delegates sued the organization in December, claiming the first convention didn't follow the group's bylaws.

At the second go-round of the event on Jan. 16, Joel Studebaker was selected to lead the party for 2023, but he didn’t remain in the position long. During the state convention in February, Moss nominated Kristina Karamo to chair the state party. Shortly thereafter, Studebaker left for a chief of staff position with her.

Karamo, the unsuccessful Michigan Secretary of State candidate who lost by 14 points to Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson in 2022, is known for her numerous conspiracy theories — including that Beyoncé is secretly recruiting Black Americans to paganism through her music; that “demonic possession is real” and transferred via “intimate relationships”; and that acceptance of gay and transgender Americans will lead to the acceptance of pedophilia.

In March, Studebaker was replaced with with Brenden Muir, a newcomer to West Michigan.

— Sarah Leach is the 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: Ottawa County GOP censures Bonnema, in part for claims against Gibbs