Rather than vote on ratifying the presented contracts as a whole, Commissioner Allison Miedema moved to separate the $45,000 contract for Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance (LNA). Miedema explained that the changes LNA had communicated to the Board a year ago still had not taken place, which included removing DEI from the LNA website. She acknowledged that LNA has different leadership now and that there may be efforts toward those ends in the future, but she didn’t feel comfortable voting in favor of the contract at this time.

• Kory Plockmeyer, Executive Director of LNA and Community Spoke, responded that under the request of the Board, LNA did take down the DEI website tab. It now says, “Under construction.” He, too, acknowledged the staff and also programming changes, and said the LNA board wanted to be on the “same page” before deciding how to move forward. He assured the commissioners that the changes are in progress and that the organization is committed to reflecting the values of Ottawa County.

• Commissioner Josh Brugger asked Miedema to point out the “offending” language both for his and Plockmeyer’s benefit.

• Miedema directed Brugger to the “Inclusion” tab on the LNA website that remains under construction. She mentioned an additional concern, not with regard to the merits of LNA, but whether the government should be funding nonprofits. Miedema added that the LNA website lists advocacy, including taking positions and writing letters to legislators to oppose policies. For her it begs the question, what stance is Ottawa County/taxpayers endorsing by continuing to provide funding?

• Plockmeyer said that as far as he knew, LNA has never invoked the advocacy policy. Rather, the LNA board considered it best practice to have a policy around advocacy in the situation LNA were asked to advocate for something. He agreed it would be helpful to add framing language around the policy.

• Commissioner Jacob Bonnema agreed that the role of government should be evaluated regarding nonprofits. He added that once nonprofits mature, it may be advantageous to consider stair stepping the County’s money down, allowing the community, churches, and other nonprofits to pick up the support.

• Brugger commented that as he recalled, the “truly offending information to a number of commissioners was regarding DEI statements.” He continued that he found nothing offensive with the way the website current reads and will support the funding, though the County may “ratchet back” on nonprofit funding in the future.

• Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea said that fundamentally she had become increasingly opposed to NGOs directing government responsibilities. As has been identified through the DOGE effort, NGOs have been “leading government by the nose” and directing how it should operate. “I think it’s easy for taxpayer money to begin to be used for political work and for support of those engaged in political advocacy which taxpayers may or may not be aligned with,” she said. Rhodea went on to say that some of the money goes toward training and standing up progressive-leaning organizations. While there’s definitely a place for nonprofits, Rhodea thought that it would be healthier for that funding to come from community foundations.

• Plockmeyer responded that Community Spoke’s members (who are different from LNA’s) are health and human service focused and include several County government agencies. Plockmeyer questioned if the current members would continue to give priority to Community Spoke if it isn’t viewed as “deputized” on behalf of the County. He then addressed Rhodea’s NGO concerns, ensuring that LNA is committed to ongoing dialogue rather than leading the way or hiding its direction.

• Rhodea acknowledged Plockmeyer’s desire for Community Spoke being “deputized,” but thought the collaboration instead belongs under the County Administrator.

• Commissioner Joe Moss supported having Strategic Planning look at how the County interacts with nonprofits regarding funding.

The motion to approve the contract for Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance passed.

Voting yes: Commissioners Josh Brugger, John Teeples, Joe Moss, Jacob Bonnema, Jordan Jorritsma, Kendra Wenzel, Phil Kuyers, Jim Barry, and Doug Zylstra.

Voting no: Commissioners Allison Miedema and Sylvia Rhodea.

Two complaints were on the agenda, and the Board was to decide whether Special Committees should be formed to conduct further investigation. Interim Counsel Ron Bultje confirmed that the ethics policy the Board was following was in compliance with the law, and that the two commissioners in question should participate in the vote.

Community member Becky Patrick had filed a complaint against Commissioner Brugger, over an email he had sent on October 1, 2025.

• Kuyers, Bonnema, and Barry offered comments supporting Brugger’s character and determined that the complaint didn’t warrant further investigation.

• Chair Teeples didn’t think the complaint met the threshold of the ethics policy, though the email was ill-advised and caused misunderstanding.

• Moss and Miedema did not see malicious intent with the email. Rhodea added that she didn’t think the incident was at a high enough level to deem wasting taxpayer time and money by forming a Special Committee.

The vote to form a Special Committee to investigate the complaint against Commissioner Brugger failed.

Voting yes: Commissioner Zylstra.

Voting no: Commissioners Josh Brugger, John Teeples, Joe Moss, Jacob Bonnema, Jordan Jorritsma, Kendra Wenzel, Phil Kuyers, Jim Barry, Allison Miedema, and Sylvia Rhodea.

Community members Dan Zimmer and Luke Sanner had each filed a complaint against Commissioner Moss regarding his handling of the December 10, 2024, closed session meeting.

• Jorritsma said he didn’t want to belabor the issue. But if the public wants to continue discourse, he thought it was appropriate.

• Bonnema wanted to “bury the hatchet,” move forward, and get back to the County business. Even so, he seemed to take the opportunity to chide Moss repeatedly, wanting him to address various media claims.

• Brugger chose this moment—rather than when his own complaint was on the table—to say he could have worded things differently with Becky Patrick. He added that both he and Moss could have done better. “I personally ran, and I think many of us ran, on a platform of transparency,” he said. “And we got transparency. As far as [the complaint against Moss] is concerned, my work here, if it were mine, is done. I’m ready to move on.”

• Chair Teeples said he’d spent the last two years, particularly the last eleven months, “nearly a 24–7 basis focused on stopping, exposing, and righting the overreach, mismanagement, monetary irresponsible decisions and divisive actions which I believe existed with the prior Board of Commissioners.” He had come to believe the current Board has done all it can “by exposing the facts underlying that meeting and decision.” In his opinion he didn’t think further investigation would bring more understanding but rather would be a waste of time and money. “We are at the end,” he said. “We have nothing more to learn or gain.”

• Rhodea responded that, “Monday morning quarterbacking is really easy, especially when you weren’t in the room.” She said as Chair, Teeples should realize it would be impossible to know everything since much of the work of the Chair and the Board is done behind the scenes. “Quite frankly,” Rhodea said, “I’m tired of watching the character of Joe Moss be smeared. It’s been really disgusting the last two years what has happened to him.” She talked about how when the prior Board came into office they could have done an ARPA investigation to try to get back the 57 million dollars spent on non-governmental functions, as well as an investigation into how the County handled Covid 19. The prior Board could have called multiple employees to testify and could have looked into how commissioners handled things. But it didn’t. Instead, it was decided to press forward. Rhodea said she was thankful to hear Chair Teeples say he was ready to do the same, adding, “It’s well beyond time for that to happen.”

The vote to form a Special Committee to investigate the complaint against Commissioner Moss failed.

Voting yes: Commissioner Zylstra.

Voting no: Commissioners Josh Brugger, John Teeples, Joe Moss, Jacob Bonnema, Jordan Jorritsma, Kendra Wenzel, Phil Kuyers, Jim Barry, Allison Miedema, and Sylvia Rhodea.

After County Administrator Patrick Waterman shared that the search for a Deputy Administrator had progressed to a short list of six applicants, commissioners shared their closing comments. Several wished all in attendance a Happy Thanksgiving and expressed gratitude for the blessings bestowed on the County.

• Commissioner Wenzel talked about the new program offered by Veterans Services called “Legacy Link.” The program is an outreach initiative for senior veterans and their spouses within their senior living communities across Ottawa County. The first pilot visit will be held Friday, December 5th, at Waterford Place in Jenison.

• Rhodea shared President Reagan’s quote, “Don’t be afraid to see what you see.” She explained that the differences between the Reagan era and what we face today is the “packaging and proximity of communism.” Reagan fought communism’s tyranny in broad daylight on another country’s soil whereas today, those calling themselves Reagan Republicans are “unable to recognize the Marxist march towards communism knocking on America’s door.” Rhodea said that those who “flirt with social justice,” fail to acknowledge its risks and don’t begin to muster the courage to defend against it, let alone defeat it. “America” she said, “needs leaders with spines of steel who will stand against the Marxists, wrapped up in DEI language, who desire to destroy our beautiful republic by erasing truth, eroding the family, and promoting or allowing the systemic dismantling of America’s foundations.”

• “Commissioner Moss,” Rhodea said, “has been a leader grounded in truth and in a desire to protect the people of Ottawa County against the aggressive march of progressivism and Marxism in Ottawa County, during the Biden era no less.” Rhodea added that this was at a time when there were few leaders in Michigan willing or in a position to stand against it. In 2023, Ottawa County was the first local government in the United States to abolish DEI. Because of that, Rhodea shared that The Washington Post and the fake news descended on our county to destroy Joe Moss and anyone associated with Ottawa Impact. “And sadly,” she said, “many here, joined the effort.” Now is not the time for cowardice.

• Brugger said going forward, with regard to the complaint, he will do his best to choose “wiser” words. Regarding the complaint against Moss, he said an attorney he’d spoken to, likened the situation to Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon, and how perhaps it was good to move on. Brugger acknowledged that maybe Moss’ situation didn’t rise to the level of Nixon.

• Miedema thanked the community members who had applied to serve on County boards and commissions. She shared from a podcast by Heidi St. John which stated that social media rewards outrage and shock, but it does not reward the truth. When we don’t have the whole truth, we end up believing lies. Covid should have taught us all not to believe lies being fed to us. Miedema reminded those listening that we can’t simply believe headlines. She quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test all things and hold fast to what is good.” Over the last couple of years, there have been hundreds of headlines that were created to create shock and reward outrage but did not reward the truth. She read a few of them and then concluded with verses from 1 Thessalonians 5.

• Moss shared the statement that he’d sent to the only MLive reporter that had reached out to him. MLive printed but a small portion of the statement. What Moss had sent included: “The Board of Commissioners engaged in a negotiation process to separate with a health officer. The consensus of the November 6, 2023, meeting was to continue the negotiation process later, on November 14. The meeting minutes reflect a moment in time during that process. At that time there were never six or more votes to accept the terms discussed that day. The Health Officer decided to break off negotiations and the court accurately ruled that she was not owed money. At all times, the first priority of the Board majority at that time was to protect the kids of Ottawa County. Which is what the people elected us to do.”

November 25, 2025 Ottawa County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Ottawa County Board of Commissioners
Regular Session
November 25, 2025

Ottawa County Administration Building
12220 Fillmore Street
West Olive, MI 49460