Residents urge new board to restore trust, prioritize transparency and employee morale

Dozens of residents addressed the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners during the meeting’s public-comment periods, many urging the newly seated board to rebuild employee trust, increase transparency and avoid partisan or factional governance.

Sheila Detloff of Holland Township urged commissioners to govern according to the political makeup of individual districts rather than assuming a uniform partisan mandate. "At the very most, district 2 currently leans about 3 and a half points Republican, which is not much," Detloff said, and she asked commissioners to "govern according to the actual makeup of your district and not according to your own personal beliefs and ideologies." Several speakers likewise urged that the board seek minority viewpoints and avoid silencing dissent.

Becky Steele of Georgetown Township asked commissioners to keep in mind the county’s growing diversity and to consider the needs of residents across ethnic, economic and health circumstances. "With each agenda item and each employee hire, I urge you to be mindful that Ottawa County is ever growing and is significantly more diverse than it may seem on the surface," Steele said.

Multiple commenters urged the board to repair relationships with county employees. Sheila Detloff and other speakers recommended selecting an interim administrator trusted by staff to begin rebuilding morale. Others thanked outgoing leaders and called for civil discourse: one speaker said he had been encouraged by the clerk’s stewardship and by opportunities for public comment.

Speakers also reflected sharply different political views. Some public commenters praised the prior commissioners who led efforts around parental rights, public-health positions and removal of diversity, equity and inclusion functions; others criticized factional behavior and urged policy and procedural reforms to prevent concentration of power in the chair role. Several speakers called for procedural rule changes so any commissioner can add agenda items and for equitable committee assignments.

The board did not take any direct policy action in response to the public comments during this meeting, but the remarks set priorities that several commissioners later referenced during the leadership discussion and suggested for upcoming administrative work.

The public-comment period at the start of the meeting followed the board’s stated rule that each registered speaker receives three minutes.

The board opened a second public-comment period later in the meeting and heard additional remarks that largely repeated the themes of transparency, employee trust and calls for civil governing.