My Priorities
Transparency
If elected, the Open Meetings Act (OMA) will be rigorously followed. No decision will be made behind closed doors unless expressly permitted by the OMA. Moreover, the intent of the Open Meetings Act will be adhered to every step of the way. Every decision that must be made in the light, shall be discussed in the light, and voted on in the light. Meeting agendas and actionable Items will be fully vetted and disclosed long before any meeting takes place. There will be no surprises and the process by which decisions are made will be clear and accessible to all.
Accountability
As elected leaders, we are accountable to ALL citizens of Ottawa County, not just those who agree with our ideology. If I'm elected, I will listen to, learn from, and work for ALL of our community members. I will do everything in my power to ensure that you have a voice; that you are listened to, that you are valued. Because it is our people, ALL the people of Ottawa County that make this an amazing place to call home. Ottawa County will be a place where you belong.
Fiscal Responsibility
The level of government waste of taxpayer dollars by the current board of commissioners is a travesty. Decades of hard work, of frugal savings, of careful budgeting, of goodwill and good reputation, has been recklessly squandered on personal vendettas and a winner take all ideology. If I am elected, on day one, we will work to re-establish solid fiscal decision making process and procedures that will repair the damage done and restore the County's reputation as an excellent and trustworthy financial steward of taxpayer dollars.
Collaboration & Respect
If elected, I will work to rebuild and to fully support the County's staff. We will return to a collaborative environment where county employees know that they are valued and appreciated. They will be listened to. They will be treated with the respect that they are due. It starts the day we announce the search for a new County Administrator. It ends only when our staff, who work for the County because they have a servants heart, not a political agenda, know that they are the most valuable part of our team.
A Note on my Right to Life Position
My wife was born at 28 weeks. She weighed less than 4 pounds. She is here today and our two beautiful children are too because she and her parents fought for life. I am pro-life. But here's the catch, I'm not just pro-birth. If we who are pro-life are going to advocate for life, we must be willing to build a community worth being born into; especially in a state where the right to an abortion is now written into our Constitution. As a County Commissioner, this means supporting early childhood development programs. It means working with our manufacturing and business sectors to find ways to make child care more affordable. It means focusing on housing affordability, something that I've been passionate about since my first days working with Habitat for Humanity over two decades ago. I am pro-life, and as your Commissioner, I'll do all that I can to build a community worth bringing life into.
A Note on Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Diversity and understanding are human issues, not Republican or Democratic issues. I will insist that all community members are treated with dignity and respect - regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, or creed. We must build bridges of understanding, not walls of intolerance. As your County Commissioner, I will work with my fellow commissioners and county staff to demonstrate in compelling and concrete ways that Ottawa County truly is a place where all belong. We do this, not by pushing one group down at the expense of another, but rather by building one another up so that we all have the opportunity and the resources needed to succeed.