Board Chair Moss admits ‘mistakes along the way,’ but says Ottawa Impact stuck to principles

ich. (WOOD) — While Ottawa Impact will soon no longer hold a majority on the county Board of Commissioners, Joe Moss, the political action committee's co-founder and current board chair, believes both sides will find common ground.

Tuesday night's results confirmed six Republicans who are not affiliated with Ottawa Impact will be sworn into office in January. That includes James Barry in District 1, Jordan Jorritsma in District 2, Jacob Bonnema in District 4, John Teeples in District 7, Phil Kuyers in District 9 and Josh Brugger in District 10.

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Four commissioners affiliated with Ottawa Impact were reelected: Sylvia Rhodea, the board's vice chair who represents District 8, Moss in District 5, Kendra Wenzel in District 6 and Allison Miedema in District 11.

Doug Zylstra, who represents District 3, will be the lone Democrat on the board. All of the commissioners will now have four-year terms.

After nearly two years of leading Ottawa County, Moss admits it hasn't been perfect. But he said he has stayed true to the principles he touted when he was first elected.

"We did learn a lot," he told News 8 on Wednesday afternoon. "We made mistakes along the way. I think as a whole, the current board and moving into next year will be able to learn from everything that's happened and continue to govern in a way that's pro-America, pro-freedom and make Ottawa County a place where freedom rings."

Moss, alongside several other candidates endorsed by his PAC Ottawa Impact, unseated several incumbents and took over the county board in January 2023. They launched their campaigns in part because of county government restrictions and mandates during the pandemic. They have taken the county further to the right, cutting health department funding and closing the diversity, equity and inclusion department, among many other changes.

"In some respects, our board has been really early to the game on a lot of issues," Rhodea told News 8. "When we came in, we had very progressive policies that had been implemented over decades into the county, so part of the transition period was a little more tumultuous because we were coming in and having to do quite a hard shift back to Republican principles. I think a lot of the heat we've taken has been simply because we were early on those issues and recognizing what they were. I think a lot of that is just going to naturally settle down because those things have become understood now."

Commissioner-elect Jorritsma will represent District 2 and cover the north side of Holland, most of Holland Charter Township and one precinct in Park Township. He grew up in Holland and graduated from Calvin College. He got involved in politics by working for Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga's 2020 congressional campaign. He is currently a legislative director in the Michigan House of Representatives.

"The week that Ottawa Impact took control and had that controversial first meeting in January , there were a couple sitting commissioners who were not Ottawa Impact-affiliated who called me. They asked me to run," Jorritsma recalled.

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As a Republican, Jorritsma agrees with many of Ottawa Impact's positions. But he disagrees over how things have been done.

"I've always been a conservative Republican, but I'm not Ottawa Impact," he said. "And that's not to say I completely disavow and am going back to the center. In some ways, I think it's more about process rather than about policy. ... I didn't appreciate everything they did. Especially the way they went about doing a lot of it, I had some issues."

When Ottawa Impact first took over county government, Jorritsma remembers acknowledging that it was the people's decision.

"They want some form of change," he said. "But change doesn't have to look like cutting a department budget in half. That's not something I'm in favor of. But it might look at some of those departmental policies and say, 'Hey, why are people frustrated?' ... Then it's just doing that without exposing ourselves to liability. We're seeing a lot of liability right now, a lot of legal bills , lawsuits. Those are the things we can do without."

Jorritsma added that his priorities include ensuring the county has a sound budget, keeping the county's AAA bond rating, increasing affordable housing and not exposing the county to legal liability.

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Moss said he and other board members have stayed true to their values and will continue to do so.

"Part of leading is making decisions with a limited amount of information and then being willing to live with the outcome," he said. "That's what we've done. We as a group have tried to work together as a board to make the best possible decisions for our residents, for the citizens, knowing we're not going to get it right every time. But knowing it always comes back to principle and that we serve the people ... we're going to continue to promote the same America-first principles we have been and stay true to representing the people of Ottawa County."

Moss said the GOP's big wins nationally give a mandate for former President Donald Trump's principles.

"I hope we can move forward and break some of these narratives the left keeps putting on us: extremists, deplorable, dangerous, things like that. Republicans are not extremists, especially in Ottawa County, just everyday Americans wanting to live our lives," he said.

He believes Trump's policies are what's best for Ottawa County. Pointing out the board is nearly all Republicans, he believes they will find compromise.

"Working with Jordan, working with others on the board, we're going to continue to govern with those policies in mind," Moss said.

Jorritsma also said he has seen unity in the Republican Party nationally under Trump's policies.

"I'm optimistic we can bring it here," he said. "We'll see exactly what that looks like, but I'll work with anyone, Republican or Democrat, if they're committed to making Ottawa County a better place."

Rhodea also said she mirrors Trump's priorities and hopes to find common ground with other Republicans on the board.

"I'm very excited about (Trump's) focus on public health and the health of our children. There is a great amount of overlap in our county on those issues," she said. "I'm excited to see what he implements on the federal level and how that trickles down to the county."

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Rhodea said she wants to expand the county's veterans department , community mental health and implement any recommendations from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if he has a prominent position in public health under the Trump administration.

"I think it should be easy to find common ground, unless they truly are not Republicans and are actually advocating for Democrat positions," she said. "So we will see what happens."

The new commissioners are sworn in Thursday, Jan. 2.