OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Ottawa County Commissioner Roger Bergman has served the public for almost a quarter of a century. New Year’s Eve was his last day before retiring.
His last day as a commissioner was an unexpected one.
On Dec. 19, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners held its last regularly scheduled meeting of the year, but the board chairperson called for a recess. Several days later, a posting on the county’s website called for a continuation of that meeting. There were no details about what was to be discussed.
Seconds after calling the meeting to order, the chairperson gaveled to end the meeting.
“I left the meeting open in case we had anything else that was needed by the end of the year, and there isn’t. So, we don’t have any actual business before us today,” Chairperson Joe Moss said.
Bergman told FOX 17 that these last two years were hard.
“I've had a lot of sleepless nights,” Bergman added.
He explained that he had already turned over his county-owned laptop before the meeting.
“When I see how good government is, how it works, and how it runs on a local level, it works through trust. And it's gone. It's gone. It was gone,” he said.
Bergman says that despite these last two years, he’s not letting that take away the joy he had serving the people of Ottawa County, whether through the county, as Grand Haven city commissioner or as Grand Haven mayor.
“I’ve met a lot of people and I've really enjoyed it and I've enjoyed being able to represent [not only] people from my district but for the whole county,” Bergman said.
He says one of his greatest accomplishments as a public servant is the Grand Landing in Grand Haven.
“There's a lot of people living in this area now that weren't here before because this was a dilapidated area,” Bergman explained.
There isn't only new housing but also new businesses. Sweet Temptations was one of the first places to set up shop.
“I’m proud to see that they're still here. They went through the downtime. But people like ice cream,” Bergman said.
His message to anyone looking to impact their community is to think long term.
“I think the important thing is to think in terms of, you know, not just today but think of 10 years from now, 25 years from now, 50 years from now. What can you do to dream big, not just short term but long term as well?” Bergman said.
The former commissioner adds in retirement, he has a couple of trips planned. He is also planning on visiting his son more on the East Coast.
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