OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners got into a heated debate Tuesday morning as they looked to the future.
The regularly scheduled meeting started at 9 a.m. but lasted well into the evening to discuss key issues.
- They now have a new interim administrator.
- Discussed previous appointments to boards.
- Power shift by BOC compared to last two years is apparent.
Former Ottawa County Sheriff Gary Rosema was selected as interim county administrator with a 7-4 vote. Rosema is the third person for the role in less than six months. Rosema served Ottawa County as sheriff from 1993 to 2016. Since then, he has served on several boards, including the Child Advocacy Center.
The division was on full display as the board discussed his appointment. The handful of Ottawa Impact commissioners are pushing back on moving forward with Rosema in this role. We asked how he plans to heal the divisive BOC.
“They say they're committed to the county. I say I'm committed to the county. So why can't we sit down and talk through some of these issues and not argue about them at board meetings? So I think that's a big thing,” Rosema said.
The less than a handful of commissioners backed by OI expressed that Rosema would work well with the 11 members but voted against his appointment.
“I believe he will have the votes here on this board today that will probably appoint him, and I think he will most likely work very well with all of us here on this board,” Commissioner Allison Miedema said.
Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea also voted against Rosema because of the direction in which she expressed that Rosema may take the county forward over the next several months.
“I’m not interested in rebuilding Team COVID and Team Fauci here in Ottawa County. And it's really important who we are choosing in these leadership goals,” Rhodea said.
In the last two years, Rhodea, Miedima, Commissioner Joe Moss and Commissioner Kendra Wenzel held a majority, allowing them the power to easily pass agenda items brought on by the side of the aisle.
Now, they face the minority for the next few years.
Rosema explains he wants to build a relationship with the commissioners who opposed his appointment. He adds that he understands that getting all 11 on board with every decision may be difficult.
“You know, if that doesn't happen, we've still got to get the job done and move forward,” Rosema said.
Rosema explained that he hopes to be in the role for only six months and will help the board look for a permanent administrator.
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