This Tuesday, the Board will vote on whether to release confidential documents drafted by Nate Wolf, the county’s HR legal representative. These documents, written roughly six months after our closed session on the separation of Jordan Epperson, offer Wolf’s retrospective

“I voted yes on the Holland Sentinel settlement for much the same reason I voted for the settlement of the Zimmer case last month; to turn the page on this item and in a manner that costs the county zero dollars. I believe that we are valuing the plaintiff’s very real concerns

Yesterday we had a lengthy discussion about the new position being posted by the administrator. I had made a motion to require the administrator to bring that before us before filling it. That motion unfortunately failed. I did have a number of questions regarding the position

Yesterday, I let my colleagues know that I would be offering myself as a nominee for the Chair position at our election in January 2026. Although it may sound unusual for me to say this as the only Democrat on an otherwise all-Republican board, there are a few reasons why I

A few weeks ago, I posted about my candidacy for Chair next year, committing to an open agenda for all commissioners, weekly updates to the full Board, and robust communication tools to ensure timely, complete information on upcoming items and background materials. Below are

Today the Board heard a presentation on Community Mental Health (CMH) funding risks and the potential conversion of our CMH to an independent authority. I have a variety of concerns on the transition process, especially around client and staff welfare, but I voted no on the

Tonight the Board voted on motions to establish special committees to investigate potential ethics violations involving two of our members. Voting on a colleague’s conduct is never pleasant, but our Code of Ethics exists so the public can trust we will examine concerns carefully

This upcoming Tuesday, we have a discussion and hopefully a subsequent vote on reformulating the Ottawa County Housing Commission to help make it an even more robust tool to help the Board better able to look at the current Housing situation in Ottawa County and develop solutions

Glad to see movement on this. Ottawa County residents deserve the best tools we can offer to help create Housing Opportunity across the board. hollandsentinel.com/story/business… via @hollandsentinel

Recently, Representative Donna Steele introduced House Bill 5091, and the Legislature held its first hearing on the proposal this past December 9. The bill would require county commissioners and executives in the state’s 16 largest counties to file annual financial disclosure

This Thursday, the Board of Commissioners will be asked to approve a resolution to begin planning public hearings on transitioning Community Mental Health (CMH) from a county department to an independent authority. Just three weeks ago, on November 21, the Board saw for the first

December update to Holland City Council: Administrator Waterman hire, two ethics complaints, lawsuit settlements, Housing Commission reformulation and Eviction Diversion.

I was grateful that the resolution to authorize three public hearings on the possible creation of a Community Mental Health Authority in Ottawa County did not pass. The idea of a transition was only introduced to the Board at the November 21 meeting, and we were promised specific

Congratulations to Chair Brugger and Vice Chair Kuyers on their election today. I'm looking forward to this next year. I also wanted to say thank you to the commissioners who reached out over the last weeks to discuss my candidacy for Chair and to the residents who reached out

When we talk about “good government,” we aren’t usually talking about high-profile debates or campaign slogans. We’re talking about the internal rules and procedures that determine how decisions are made. To that end, I’ve proposed a small set of amendments to our Board Rules

I voted against the Resolution to approve the scheduling of three (3) public hearings to engage the public on the possible creation of a Community Mental Health Authority in Ottawa County because I don't think a compelling case has been made for proceeding. I do believe public

Thank you to Catherine Ristola Bass for her kind words and to the Holland Human Relations Commission for the honor of 2025 Social Justice Award for Government Relations.

My Commissioner Comment: "This nation was founded on the principle of freedom, and especially on the idea that its citizens should be free from the arbitrary and excessive use of government power. Those principles are not abstract—they are meant to guide our actions,

Over the last few months, the Board and staff have been evaluating a potential conversion of our Community Mental Health Department into a CMH Authority. A great deal of thoughtful work has gone into this analysis, and I deeply appreciate the time and effort invested by staff and