GRAND HAVEN — A group of Ottawa County residents have launched a political action committee to inform and activate others to get engaged with local government and financially back candidates running in the county’s District 10.
A press release from the Ottawa North Tri-Cities Action Committee (ONTRAC) describes itself as “a group of northwest Ottawa County citizens (that) have joined forces to encourage responsible government and oppose the radical right-wing group Ottawa Impact.”
The release says the committee’s primary goals are “to safeguard democratic processes, communicate factual information on issues relevant to local residents, promote responsible voting and recommend local candidates.”
One of the group’s steering committee members, Cindy Spielmaker, said while Ottawa Impact campaigned on “transparency” and “facts,” she doesn’t feel they’ve demonstrated those ideals since taking office in January.
“Oftentimes what the Ottawa Impact commissioners end up doing is anything but transparent,” Spielmaker said. “One of the things we’re hoping for in our mission for ONTRAC is to be factual … and to be transparent with where those facts are coming from.”
Karen Obits, another steering committee member, said she hopes to encourage District 10 residents to pay attention to their local governing boards and councils.
District 10 includes Grand Haven, Ferrysburg and Spring Lake Township precincts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. Roger Bergman — a Republican and vocal opponent of Ottawa Impact — is currently serving as commissioner for the district, but he doesn’t plan to run for re-election in 2024.
“The way I believe Ottawa Impact was able to make the inroads it did was because people were pretty much unaware of how local government is working on their behalf,” Obits said.
The 10-member steering committee also includes Ryan Cotton, a former municipal manager in Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Holland.
As someone who’s been involved in local politics since before the last election, Obits said she personally noticed an ideological shift, especially with supporters of Ottawa Impact, toward a focus on national issues rather than local.
“To have different ideas about national politics is one thing,” she said. “But when those opinions take over what’s happening on a local level, I find that concerning.”
Spielmaker said the Ottawa Impact commissioners “tend to come from the Christian nationalist perspective.”
“They seem to have a lot of resentment over former COVID mandates and want to kind of impose the Christian nationalist aspect of things onto the community,” she said.
According to a press release, ONTRAC “plans to monitor District 10 units of government for the influence of extremist groups or individuals, then promote peaceful, responsible citizen action to counteract it.”
“We have watched and listened as our county commissioners dismantled the good governance our community is known for,” said John North, a local resident and ONTRAC steering committee member. “We joined their meetings and spoke of our concerns, but they did not listen.
“Instead, their ideology is spreading into our municipalities and cities, our libraries and schools. Now we are joining together to plan and act to restore ethical conduct, transparency, fiscal responsibility and inclusion. We will be ready at the ballot box.”
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The press release outlines seven different committees, each focused on finding candidates for county board.
The nonpartisan PAC wrote in their press release they welcome “people of all political parties and persuasions who oppose Ottawa Impact and similar groups and are concerned about their exclusionary and anti-democratic influence on local communities. ONTRAC hopes to provide a place where independents, Democrats and disaffected Republicans can work together for better governance.”
Spielmaker said she hopes any Republican worried about running without Ottawa Impact-support will find solace in ONTRAC support.
“This can’t just be about being a Democrat or Republican anymore,” she said. “This has to be about community. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we can hopefully agree that the way our county is being governed is not good, it’s not a democracy.”
For more information, email ONTRAC.D10@gmail.com or visit ONTRAC Advocates on Facebook.
