'People are really fed up': Conservative joins the race for District 2
OTTAWA COUNTY — Republican Jordan Jorritsma has joined the race for District 2 in Ottawa County this November.
Jorritsma decided to run after a series of controversial decisions made by the current board, controlled by far-right fundamentalist group Ottawa Impact.
"I started paying attention to what was going on, and it just didn't sit right with me," Jorritsma said. "Even from the first day — just the tactics that were used specifically, and some of the rhetoric that was used — just didn't sit right with me at all."
The board made headlines locally and nationally in 2023, with choices that resulted in at least four lawsuits, an investigation from the state attorney general's office and deep funding cuts to the county's health department.
District 2 will have a special election in May, scheduled after a successful citizen-led petition drive to subject Ottawa Impact incumbent Lucy Ebel to a recall.
As the subject of the recall, Ebel will be automatically listed on the ballot in May. Democrat Chris Kleinjans has filed to run against her then, as well as the November general election.
Ebel hasn't yet filed for re-election in November, and has never responded to The Sentinel's requests for comment.
Jorritsma said he's running on three pillars: trust, community and common sense
"I think trust has been lost between the county and county residents. I think they've tried to contort the definition of community and almost pit groups of people against each other," he said of the board's current majority. "We have an amazing community here. Ottawa County is exceptional; we should be in the news because we're one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, and we have absolutely amazing economic development going on."
More: A year after the Ottawa Impact controversy, here's what the commissioners accomplished
Restoring a sense of community, he said, is paramount.
"I think people are just really fed up with the lack of common sense," he said. "It's transparency, it's accountability, it's good governance, it's being willing to work with anybody and being willing to listen."
At just 25, Jorritsma might be young, but he's been working in politics for years.
The graduate of Holland Christian attended Calvin University in Grand Rapids. He works as the legislative director for Republican State Rep. Curt VanderWall, of Ludington, who represents Michigan's 102nd District.
Jorritsma's introduction to politics came early
"I was a Republican precinct delegate when I was 18," he said. "So, I've been involved for a bit here. It's amazing to me how quickly things have changed, and how much things have changed from when I started."
He said, if nothing else, he hopes Ottawa County residents now understand the importance of local races.
"Freedom is one generation away from destruction. Here, stability is one bad majority away from going away; our AAA bond rating is one silly group of people away from falling and putting us in economic chaos," he said. "Government is boring if it's doing its job."
Jorritsma said he's a conservative Republican and a good alternative to Ottawa Impact or a Democrat.
"I'm not convinced we need the pendulum to swing that far away," he said of the district potentially represented by Kleinjans. "Why can't we just have a common sense, reasonable Republican, who's still conservative but who also can do the administration part of the job? So, here I am."
If he were to win, Jorritsma said, he would be a proponent of returning the board to fiscal responsibility.
"I've been knocking doors and people are saying, 'Hey, this current group, they're not conservative. They're certainly not fiscal conservatives.' ... It doesn't seem like there's been much conserving going on."
More: Kleinjans kicks off recall, general election campaigns for county commission
He said that's evidenced by a mass exodus of county employees and controversial hires.
"From a staff perspective, we're losing talent. We haven't been putting forward the principle of meritocracy. It's been much more cronyism and idealism. ... That's a huge issue for me — fiscal irresponsibility."
He said he's learned from some of the best
"I've seen some great conservative leaders in West Michigan, and these are all people who reach across the aisle who are more worried about good outcomes, rather than always playing the partisan game. If you really want to implement change, you have to win. That's why it's not just about ideology."
That includes engaging with local media.
"Joe Moss not doing an interview for an entire year ... they're shooting themselves in the foot because local media just want to report on the story. Then you control the narrative, you can talk about all these things you can explain," Jorritsma said. "They're the ones who have a record they have to defend now, and they're not. They're not punching up anymore."
Jorritsma recently married his wife, Liz, who works as a speech pathologist at West Ottawa Public Schools.
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Dates to know
Tuesday, April 23: Filing deadline for Ottawa County candidates
Tuesday, May 7: Special recall election for District 2
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: 'People are really fed up': Conservative joins the race for District 2
