WEST OLIVE, Mich. — The division within the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners continues to grow—a commissioner now is raising concerns about a recent agenda change.
The board removed the agenda item about how commissioners speak before the end of the meeting.
This requires commissioners to add the topic to the agenda if they want to discuss something.
The move isn’t sitting well with county commissioner Jacob Bonnema who says they need more meetings taking place in the public eye and fewer meetings taking place behind closed doors.
“Right now, it sounds like commissioner Moss desires to have all conversations that are not planned to happen behind closed doors, and that’s what he said during the meeting, is that these kinds of conversations really need to take place outside of the public view, which I don’t agree with,” Bonnema added.
Commissioner Bonnema recently asked Chairman Moss and County Administrator John Gibbs about the status of potential health officer Nathaniel Kelly.
Kelly has been in the spotlight not only for his appointment but also for his medical views on issues, including COVID.
Gibbs told Bonnema to see him after the meeting, but Bonnema says since he can’t speak up at the end of the meetings, he feels as if he’s silenced.
“We’re here to be the voice of our constituency and…when this item was taken off the agenda, this is just one less opportunity that we can be that voice, and now puts the control of whenever our voice is allowed to be heard in the hands of one person, and that person is Joe Moss,” Bonnema said.
Bonnema was one of several county commissioners backed by the conservative group Ottawa Impact; however, he cut ties with the group recently.
READ MORE: Jacob Bonnema leaves Ottawa Impact PAC
Chairman Moss is a leader of Ottawa Impact, which, among other things, has rallied against public COVID health mandates and diversity efforts.
FOX 17 reached out to Moss but had not heard back as of Wednesday night.
