“The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of private citizen” casting their vote.
Louis Brandeis, justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916-39
2021 primary and general local election summary
When 2021 election filing deadline passed in April, the Kent County election office reported six candidates running for the open 28th District State Senate seat (more could be added if independents file) and there will be five contested elections in the City of Kentwood, including for mayor, city commissioners and the city clerk. Go here for the story.
Primary election, City of Kentwood, Commissioner Ward 2
The City of Kentwood Ward 2 includes three non-partisan candidates: incumbent Tom McKelvey and challengers Jessica Ann Tyson and Dan VanderMolen. The top two vote-getters will move on to the November general election (unless one of the primary candidates get 50 percent plus 1 vote in the primary, in which case they will win the seat). Go here for the story.
Primary election, 28th District Senate
Last year, Peter MacGregor stepped away from the 28th District Senate seat to take over the position of Kent County treasurer, leaving the seat open until the governor called a special election. Five candidates, two Democrats and three Republicans are seeking the nomination from their respective parties in the Aug. 3 primary. The top vote getters in each of the party elections (and possible independent candidates) will face off in the November general election. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
80 million
More Americans voted in 2020 than in any other presidential-year election in 120 years. About 67 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, but that still means a third did not. That amounts to about 80 million people. Source.
Note: For the Michigan Aug. 3 primary election, WKTV’s We The People program invited participation from all candidates. If they participated, their videos are linked here, For those who did not participate, either a candidate-provided biography/issues statement, or simply their name is listed. All videos are 5-minutes or less, and were not edited in any way by WKTV.
The City of Kentwood Ward 2 includes voting Precincts 10-18, roughly the east and northeast areas of the city. For a precinct and ward map, click here.
The non-partisan candidates are incumbent Tom McKelvey and challengers Jessica Ann Tyson and Dan VanderMolen. The top two vote-getters will move on to the November general election (unless one of the primary candidates get 50 percent plus 1 vote in the primary, in which case they will win the seat).
Note: Commissioner McKelvey chose not to record a We The People video
Tom McKelvey – Incumbent
Occupation: President of Leadership Consulting Associates
Why did you decide to run for this position?
When I decided to run in 2017, I ran because I wanted to get involved and make a difference in Kentwood. Over the past 4 years, I have grown into a stronger leader for Kentwood citizens. I am running again, because I feel with my proven leadership experience, I can continue to help Kentwood create a vision for the future, that will create a strong, economically viable city for many years.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Kentwood citizens and businesses have just come out of a challenging year. It’s time now that we use the funds that have been given to us to build a stronger business community through loans and grants, that we improve our parks and quality of life, and that we stay within our budget so that we don’t need to ask the citizens of Kentwood to increase their taxes. We have the funds to do all these things, we just need to have the discipline to manage citizen tax dollars wisely and fairly.
Jessica Ann Tyson — Candidate
Occupation: Business owner of The Candied Yam — Delightful Southern Cuisine; JA PR Group, LLC; Pink Lounge Dry Salt Therapy
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I want to continue and expand my volunteer service to the community I love, work and live in.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Involved leadership — If you serve the community you must be genuinely and authenticity involved. You only know what the community needs if you show up. Lack of involved leadership will only cause further disconnect. Our community is changing and deserves leadership involvement.
The community of Kentwood is facing space deficits. From crisis with housing to available land for zoning uses, the right leadership can support with expertise and knowledge. The city needs active and forward thinkers in utilization and creation of spaces available that will make sense for our community and generations to come.
Dan VanderMolen — Candidate
Occupation: Project Coordinator at First Steps Kent
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I’m running for this position because I believe that the residents of Kentwood want a solutions-focused government that works for them, with them, to tackle the important issues facing the city. Kentwood has an incredible opportunity right now to establish a future of long term growth and development, and for that to happen we need to leverage all of our available resources and create intentional, strategic partnerships with the amazing people and organizations in our area. I have made community collaboration the focus of my career over the past ten years and know for a fact that If we work cooperatively we can create a thriving city that works for everyone. However, we’ll only be able to accomplish that if we pledge to focus on what brings us together, not what tears us apart.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Affordable Housing: It’s no secret that Kent County currently suffers from an affordable housing crisis which extends to the community of Kentwood. Far too often our residents are faced with the difficult decision of whether to pay their rent or mortgage, or spend money on basic needs. As housing costs continue to climb, pricing many people out of the market, it is imperative that we provide effective measures to help people find safe, attainable housing no matter what the budget.
High quality, affordable child care: The Covid-19 pandemic illuminated a number of things about our world, one of which is just how important access to child care is to the health of our families, our community, and our economy. To address this crisis, we need to tackle it on two fronts: Lower costs for families and higher wages for providers. The only way to accomplish that is through targeted financial investment at the local, state, and federal levels.
Broadband internet: Another issue that became abundantly clear over the past year and a half is that not everyone in our community has equal access to the broadband internet services absolutely necessary to support remote learning and work. By working with local tech companies and internet providers we can develop the much needed infrastructure required to assure that nobody in Kentwood is ever left behind again.
Tommy Brann — small business owner and operator, and current State Representative — talks to WKTV about he and his restaurant family came together at the start of the pandemic shutdown. (WKTV)
Tommy Brann — the small business owner and operator, not the current State Representative and State Senate candidate — remembers his first day of work at Brann’s Steakhouse and Grill like it was yesterday.
But it was 50 years ago, and on Monday, July 5, Brann’s Steakhouse will celebrate 50 years of “serving sizzling steaks” to the West Michigan community with a special appreciation reception for its employees and customers from 5-7 p.m.
And, of course, Tommy will be there all day, wearing his customary blue apron, bussing tables, and talking up the staff and customers.
Tommy Brann in an undated historic photo. (Supplied) See more photos from over the years in slideshow below.
“July 5th, 1971,” Brann said about his first day, when he was just 19 years old, during a recent interview with WKTV. “We served 97 dinners and I remember one customer came in that day … a friend of my dad’s … and he bought the whole restaurant a drink. It was a hard working day for us.”
During the interview, he also stressed that he was a restaurant businessman before he was elected to serve the community in Lansing as a State Representative, and that no matter what happens in the next year or so, he will stay being a restaurant businessman.
(Rep. Brann is running for the open State Senate seat from District 28, with the Republican primary set for Aug. 3; and if he is not elected to the Senate, he will be term-limited out as a State Representative in 2022.)
“I really believe small business in the backbone of our country, of our state,” Brann said. “I really believe small businesses are job creators. … That is what I bring to Lansing.”
Brann also talked about how his restaurant survived the pandemic shutdown and business slowdown — due both to the “family” he has at his steakhouse and to his aversion to debt. (See video clip above for a story on the Brann’s “family.”)
And the restaurant survived. And so on Monday, July 5, it will be all about celebrating Tommy the restauranteur and the 50 years of Brann’s Steakhouse and Grill, located on Division Avenue in Wyoming.
Family, and work family, reflect on Tommy
“I am incredibly proud of my brother, Tommy Brann, for his dedication and commitment to being a business owner and restaurateur these 50 years,” Johnny Brann, Sr., owner of Grand Rapids-based, Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille, said in supplied material. “Tommy has made his restaurant a community icon and is known for his service and dedication not just to the business, but more importantly to his employees and customers.”
For most of those 50 years, Tommy opened and closed his restaurant, working from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., 6 days a week, doing what is needed — from cooking to dishwashing to to bussing tables, and other less glamorous jobs.
Tommy has also spent 50 years being more than simply a boss to the employees at the steakhouse.
Tommy Brann, with his restaurant family from June 2021. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“I have been an employee of Brann’s steakhouse for over 40 years,” senior executive waitress Jennie Lehnertz said in supplied material. “It truly is a family business. I work here, my daughter works here and now my grandson works here. It is my second home.”
The family atmosphere is echoed by Jermaine Jennings, executive waiter for about 30 years — “Tommy is not just a boss. He works alongside his employees and instills in us a sense of purpose. He’s always willing to help those in need and considers all of us who work for him and his customers his family.”
Five decades of restaurant ownership has brought ups and downs, especially throughout the past year in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. What has kept Tommy going has been his strong work ethic, his tenacity, and his belief that he can make a difference in the lives of others.
“I care about serving my community and helping others in need,” Tommy Brann said in supplied material. “My wife, Sue, and I are committed to making our employees and customers our family. We have used our restaurant as a way to provide food to the homeless and provide jobs for those who need one, including those with developmental disabilities. There’s no greater joy to me than seeing the smile on the face of someone we’ve helped.”
On this episode pf WKTV Journal In Focus, State Sen. Winnie Brinks, a Democrat who was elected in 2018 as the first woman to represent Grand Rapids in the Michigan Senate since 1920. While the coverage area of her District 29 does not include Wyoming or Kentwood, the current vacancy in District 28 had left a void in local representation. So Sen. Brinks graciously offered to talk to us about what’s happening in Lansing this session.
WKTV asked her about two hot-button issues in Lansing, no-fault insurance and voting rights. With her serving on the Senate’s Health Policy and Human Resources committee, we talked to her about changes to part of the healthcare industry due to the continuing rollout of the state’s no-fault insurance law, as well as possible changes to the state’s voting laws.
But on the WKTV set, she also wanted to talk about an issue flying under the news radar this session — “attainable house”, sometimes known as “workforce housing”, a topic important to Wyoming and Kentwood as a large workforce housing project is in-progress on Division Avenue between the two cities.
“There is a bill, group of bills, we got it started in the senate and now it is making its way over to the house, we passed a group of bills that will help with attainable housing,” Sen. Brinks said to WKTV. “You hear a lot about government programing, particularly from the federal government, in terms of helping people with affordable housing — very important to do that. …
“But we worked on a set of bills, with local governments, to provide some tools to help people get into what we are calling attainable housing. And that would be available to those folks who don’t necessarily qualify for affordable housing but need a little bit of assistance, generally working (families). Some in the business community call it workforce housing. It is for people who are doing everything right but still can’t quite find something that works for them.”
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
The pandemic shut down Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up and other small music venues in Michigan. The slow rollout of federal assistance is not helping them come back and fill the seats. (Seven Steps Up)
Three West Michigan “small stage” music venues — Listening Room and Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids and Seven Steps Up in Spring Lake — are moving ahead with scheduling a few nights of music in the coming weeks.
Listening Room is hosting concerts outside the “Room” on the Listening Lawn with its first inside stage concert currently set for Aug. 6 with Tobin Sprout, while Pyramid Scheme’s first live show will be Charles The Osprey + Cavalcade + Crooked Heart on July 10, and Seven Steps Up has scheduled Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer) for a July 22.
But as the venues begin to come back to life — and live shows return to their stages — after the pandemic shutdown, both had hoped to already have received promised federal financial support from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich. District 2), shown on the set of “WKTV Journal In Focus”. (WKTV)
That support has not shown up despite their being qualified and early applicants, WKTV has learned from both venues, and that delay has drawn the ire of local U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga. Last week, Rep. Huizenga, who represents both Wyoming and Kentwood, joined more than 200 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to SBA administrator Isabel Guzman “urging immediate action to stabilize and improve the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant” program.
According to a statement from Rep. Huizenga’s office, the rollout of the SVOG program has been plagued by technical challenges and persistent delays. Since launching the program in April, the SBA has approved roughly 400 grants as of June 14 — despite receiving more than 14,000 applications. In the letter signed by Rep. Huizenga the SBA was urged to “expedite the release of relief funding to struggling venues across the country.”
And that expediting of the relief funding will come none-too-soon for Seven Steps Up and the other venues.
“The portal opened officially on April 26 at noon and we submitted our application at 3:01p.m.,” Michelle Hanks, co-owner of Seven Steps Up, said to WKTV. “To date we have not had a response, although about a week ago it changed from Application Submitted to Pending Final Review. (On June 25, that status was upgraded to ‘Approved”) … But we have no timeline for funding.”
Quinn Mathews, general manager of Listening Room, also is still in the dark about its application — so the venue is moving forward while it waits.
Tami VandenBerg of Pyramid Scheme said they applied for the SVOG grant “in April. We have been in ‘under review’ status for several weeks now… . Hoping to hear of an approval soon.”
Michelle and Gary Hanks, owners and mangers of Seven Steps Up. (WKTV)
“Yes, we applied and we have yet to hear anything,” Mathews said to WKTV. “But we are producing concerts outside in our Studio Park Piazza all summer and we’ll be adding indoors as well here soon. We have a busy lineup for late summer and into the fall.”
The delay is of particular difficulty for Hanks and Seven Steps Up as it struggled to get back to business.
“We know we are eligible, and we are stuck without it. We can’t move forward,” she said. “We can’t, at this point, decide to quit because if we do we will owe tens of thousands of dollars for grants we have accepted under the condition that we certify we plan to reopen. We can’t hire employees. We can’t start up basic services or purchase basic supplies. Or fix our broken sign. Or deal with the hundreds of other decisions we have to make daily with absolutely no clue what to do.
“It’s a nightmare every day and the money is sitting there while venues go out of business. I don’t think it can be called emergency assistance now that it has been almost seven months since the legislation was passed.”
And for Rep. Huizenga, that delay is just unacceptable.
“It’s been six months since Congress created the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program to help some of the hardest hit small businesses in the nation,” Rep. Huizenga said in supplied material. “The Small Business Administration’s inability to properly administer the funding in a timely manner is completely unacceptable. The more time that passes due to bureaucratic inaction, the more small concert venues will close their doors for good.”
The letter which Rep. Huizenga signed points out “These small businesses not only provide good jobs and contribute economically to our local communities, they contribute to the spirit and local culture as well.”
For an up-to-date schedule at Seven Steps Up concerts, visit sevenstepsup.com.
For an up-to-date schedule of Listening Room concerts, both on the lawn and, soon, inside, visit listeningroomgr.com.
With the passing of a filing deadline this week, the Kent County election office reports that there will be at least six candidates running for the open 28th District State Senate seat — including local state Rep. Tommy Brand — and there will be five contested elections in the City of Kentwood, including for mayor, city commissioners and the city clerk.
According to the Kent County Elections website, the 2021 elections cycle will include an Aug. 3 special election primary for the state senate seat, where there will be three Republicans and two Democrats running for a spot on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.
On August primary ballot to compete the term of ex-state Sen. Peter MacGregor in the state Senate’s 28th District are Democrats Keith Courtade of Wyoming and Gidget Groendyk of Rockford; and Republicans Kevin Green of Cedar Springs, Mark Huizenga of Walker and Rep. Brann of Wyoming.
The winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries will face off in November, with at least one independent candidate, US Taxpayers Party candidate Theodore Gerrard, of Kentwood, and possibly others.
“Candidates with no party affiliation, or minor party candidates who are nominated at county conventions rather than via a primary, (can) file by 4 p.m. on August 20,” according to a spokesperson for the Kent County Clerk’s office.
The winner of the state senate special election will finish out the remaining term and will need to run again in 2022.
City of Kentwood primary, general elections
The City of Kentwood will have just one seat up for vote in the August primary, the City Commissioner Ward 2 where incumbent Tom McKelvey has two challengers: Jessica A. Tyson and Dan VanderMolen. The top two vote-getters will move on to the November general election (unless one of the primary candidates get 50 percent plus 1 vote in the primary, in which case they will win the seat).
Races already on the November non-partisan ballot for City of Kentwood have incumbent Mayor Stephen Kepley challenged by current City Commissioner Emily Bridson, incumbent Commissioner-At Large Betsy Artz challenged by Leonica Riley Erwin, and two candidates will look to fill the Ward 1 seat vacated by Bridson, Clarkston Morgan and Meochia Thompson.
Also, there will be a race for City Clerk as incumbent Dan Kasunic will be challenged by Taylor VanderLaan.
Running uncontested in the City of Kentwood is incumbent Treasurer Laurie Sheldon.
All City of Kentwood seats are for 4-year terms.
WKTV’s We The People available to candidates
As always, WKTV Community Media’s election season candidate coverage will include our We The People candidate videos. We The People gives all candidates the opportunity to record up-to-5-minute videos using their own scripts and unedited by WKTV.
Then-Kent County Commissioner Harold Voorhees during a previous election season’s We The People video series. (WKTV)
For the August primary special election, all of the candidates on the ballot will be invited to record the videos in late June and early July, and they will be run on our cable channels, Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel, and will be posted on YouTube at WKTVvideos about a month before the August election day. The videos are also provided to the candidates for their use.
For the November election all candidates (including unopposed candidates) will be invited to record videos in late September and early October for run and posting in early October.
In November of last year, then state senator Peter MacGregor won election to the position of Kent County Treasurer, returning to work nearer his Rockford home after more than a decade of public service in Lansing as a state representative and then a senator.
Just after his election, when he resigned his senate seat and was sworn in as Treasurer, MacGregor told WKTV the duties of state senator and county treasurer were very different in most ways but that the common ground fits in with his skill-set and his personal outlook when it comes to taxpayers and use of their taxes.
Kent County Treasurer Peter MacGregor. (WKTV)
In early April, Kent County Treasurer MacGregor visited WKTV Journal In Focus to talk about his job transition, the sometimes little-known duties of the county treasurer, and where he now sees his public service priorities lay — including sometimes knocking on the door to help homeowners behind on their taxes.
Oh, ya, and we also asked how long it took him to stop answering the phone with “This is Senator MacGregor”?
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shake hands as they meet for the first time, June 12, 2018, at the Capella Hotel in Singapore. (state.gov)
The World Affairs Council of West Michigan (WACWM) continues its virtual series of special discussions and its Great Decisions Global Discussions 2021 series this week, starting with the rescheduling of a special program on the future of Korea and its alliance with the United States.
The program “The Korean — U.S. Alliance”, originally scheduled to take place in mid- January, was rescheduled to Feb. 4. The program will feature the U.S. Department of State’s Dr. Jennifer Brannon, Sung-hoon Park, of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S., and Korea Economic Institute vice president Mark Tortola. A program of the World Affairs Councils of America in partnership with the Korea Economic Institute, this will focus on broadening and deepening public understanding of Korea and the U.S.-Korea relationship.
While the program was available live is is also viewable as an archive on YouTube here.
The WACWM’s Great Decisions Global Discussions series will be live-streamed to YouTube Mondays from 6-7:15 p.m., starting Feb. 8 and running through March 29. The public is invited and the webinars will be viewable live and as archived on-demand. The cost to the public is $10 per discussion, $60 for a series pass, with prior registration required.
The February series dates, topics and guest speaker are as follows:
Feb. 8, “North Korea: Getting Diplomacy Back on Track” with Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
After a historical summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in 2018, hopes of a change in relations have faded. Now, with a new president in the White House, landslide legislative victories in South Korea, and rumors of an unwell Kim, do new dynamics have the potential to change a perennially thorny situation?
DiMaggio is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Board Chair of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a new think tank she co-founded in 2019, and is currently directing a U.S.-DPRK dialogue that has included several visits to North Korea. As part of that process, she facilitated the first official discussions between the Trump administration and North Korean government representatives in Oslo in May 2017.
Feb. 15, “Have We Learned Anything about this Pandemic?” with Andrew Natsios, director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.
COVID-19 took the world by surprise, but it shouldn’t have been surprising. The question remains how our global health systems can be more responsive and resilient to pandemics. Professor Andrew Natsios will discuss the structural problems in the World Health Organization that have created dysfunctions laid bare by COVID-19; the need for a global pandemic early warning system and how it might be achieved; and next steps in vaccine distribution in the developing world in light of great power competition and larger global health challenges.
Professor Natsios is an executive professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and Director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs. He was previously a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is also the author of three books: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1997), The Great North Korean Famine (2001), and Sudan, South Sudan, and Darfur: What Everyone Needs to Know.
Feb. 22, “The European Union: The New Agenda Post-Brexit” with Tomas Baert , Head of Trade and Agriculture, European Delegation to the U.S.
Containing 5.8 percent of the world population but accounting for 18 percent of world GDP, the European Union holds enormous influence in the world, driving economic growth, advancing sustainable development, and championing peace and security by promoting democratic norms. While Brexit has been the focus, other key priorities of the Union remain: stabilizing transatlantic relations, continuing response to the COVID crisis, leading in the climate fight, and transforming the digital economy.
Baert, Head of Trade and Agriculture for the European Delegation to the United States focuses on the future of the EU in this presentation. Prior to his work in the U.S., Baert was the Head of Unit for Trade Strategy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade). From 2014 to 2016, he was an assistant to Director-General for Trade, advising on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and WTO negotiations.
At Government Matters meeting sponsored by the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce and broadcast by WKTV, then State Sen. Peter MacGregor (right) talks with other legislators. (WKTV)
It was a holiday season of change and challenges for new Kent County Treasurer Peter MacGregor.
The two-term State Senator representing Wyoming and Kentwood won a countywide election in November 2020 with the shadow of term limits set to end his time in Lansing in two years. He was sworn in to the Kent County office in mid-December and officially resigned his 28th District seat on Dec. 31 — but not before helping to push through state government a series of “essential” COVID-19 related bills.
Kent County Treasurer Peter MacGregor (Supplied)
Last week, as he prepared to take over the county position this week, he talked with WKTV about his plans for his new public service duties and what he will miss about serving in state government. He also expressed concerns about how and when the constituents of his old senate district will again have representation — a process which he hopes will not be driven by partisan politics.
“I am gong to miss the friendships, the working relationships that I have with the people there,” MacGregor said. “I am going to miss my staff — I had five staff members. I am going to miss my colleagues. … (and) the policy people who are dedicated to making our state the best place to live and play and work. … That is what I am going to miss. I am not going to miss the politics.”
Replacement for senate seat driven by Governor
The currently Republican-held senate seats vacated by MacGregor and one-time Macomb County Sen. Pete Lucido, who won the Macomb County’s prosector position in November, leave the current balance of political power in the state senate at 20 Republicans and 16 Democrats.
State senators are all elected in the same years as the governor, with the last election one being in 2018. So for the two now open senate seats to be filled, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would need to call for a special election — which MacGregor hopes will occur.
At this point, the local senate seat “will be unfilled by an elected official, (but) there is still staff there that will help out the people of the 28th District, in fact it is my former staff,”MacGregor said. “But the sooner it is that the Governor calls for an election, the better it is for the people to have representation in the 28th District. … My hope is that the seat stays vacant for as little time as possible.”
The new Senate leadership will have Sen. Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) serving a second term as majority leader while Sen. Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway) will replace MacGregor as majority floor leader. MacGregor was also chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.
According to a spokesperson for the Kent County Clerk’s office, which controls county elections, filing the local seat is “completely at the mercy of when the Governor calls for the special election.”
When WKTV this week asked Gov. Whitmer’s office for its plans for calling a special election, a spokesperson in the office said the Governor was “reviewing possibilities.”
But the Kent County Clerk’s spokesperson noted that there could be a ripple effect no matter what she does.
“In both (open) seats you’ll likely see House members running for the special senate elections, so if she called the special for the August/November 2021 election dates, then that has the potential to leave a House seat vacant. It’s likely that she leave the Senate seat vacant for the final two years and not deal with the potential of the domino effect in the House.”
MacGregor wraps up work in Lansing
As Michigan’s 2020 Legislative session wrapped up in December, a spate of bills signed by the Governor (and a few vetoed) had Sen. MacGregor’s name attached. Some of them were sponsored by him and some had his name attached due to his role in Senate leadership.
“As the floor leader (as the session came to an end), I can control what moves, and towards the end, when we were running out of time, it made more sense to the leadership team to put some of these bills in the name of leadership because we just have a better way of moving the bills,” MacGregor said.
Many of the bills were COVID-19 related and, he said, “Timing was essential . … We needed to get those done before the session ended.”
One of those bills was SB 1258, which was signed by the Governor, dealt with “good employment practices both for employers and employees,” MacGregor said. “If the employees are doing every thing they were told to do, following the guidelines the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has issued, they can’t be fired.”
The law also includes protections for the employer in these times of COVID-19, when it comes to work environments.
“It protects workers from being discharged if they are sick and it also mandates that, if the employers follows all the rules the they are supposed to, especially for essential workers, the the essential workers can’t retaliate,” MacGregor said. “Everybody needed this bill to protect (the state) moving forward” in the pandemic.
Skill-set and goals for new new county position
MacGregor, in comparing his change in duties from state senator to county treasurer, says they are very different in most ways but that the common ground fits in with his skill-set and his personal outlook when it comes to taxpayers and use of their taxes.
Peter MacGregor, in the WKTV studios in 2019. (WKTV)
“The financial aspect is probably where the similarities are,” he said. “I am going from a policy position to more of an administrative position, but working with the people’s tax dollars, making sure that you are a good steward of those tax dollars, I’ve done that since I was a supervisor in Cannon Township.”
In between serving as a township supervisor and a state senator, MacGregor served two terms as a state representative.
And as in the past, he sees a priority of his new position “is that you have got to put faces to those tax dollars.”
Pointing out that one of the duties of the treasurer is dealing with property foreclosures, he said he wants to work to help people who are threatened with foreclosure.
“You got to work with those people. They are not just addresses … you have to help those people as soon as possible,” he said.
MacGregor, who lives in Rockford, is a lifelong Michigan resident and was a small business owner before serving in Lansing. He is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business. He and his wife, Christie, have three sons.
In an afternoon virtual press conference today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan COVID-19 Task Force on Racial Disparities, chaired by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, released an interim report detailing the “significant progress Michigan has made in protecting communities of color from the spread of COVID-19,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.
“From the beginning, our administration has listened to medical experts and taken a fact-based approach to eliminating COVID-19 in our most vulnerable communities, and we have seen significant progress,” Gov. Whitmer said at the Dec. 3 press conference and in supplied material.
“Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist and the leaders on the Task Force have been crucial in helping us dramatically reduce the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in communities of color by expanding testing and providing crucial support to community organizations.”
The statement points out that while cases and hospitalizations are still rising statewide, the percentages of cases among persons of color has declined as the year has progressed.
“Today’s report shows that significant progress has been made toward our goal to reduce these disparities over the past six months,” Lt. Gov. Gilchrist said. “But as cases continue to rise, we need to recognize that our work is not done because each of us have a role to play to make sure that we defeat this virus.”
The Task Force’s interim report details a number of actions the state has taken to protect communities of color — as well as frontline workers, small businesses and the general population — from the spread of COVID-19.
As of Nov. 16, more than 24,000 tests have been administered in previously underserved communities across 21 Neighborhood Testing sites, according to the statement. From March and April, to September and October, the average cases per million per day for African American Michiganders dropped from 176 to 59. In the same period, the number of probable deaths per million per day among African American Michiganders dropped “significantly,” from 21.7 to 1.
“It’s clear that the work of this task force … has made significant progress in protecting families, frontline workers, and small businesses in communities of color,” Celeste Sanchez Lloyd, Task Force member and community program manager for Strong Beginnings at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, said in supplied material.
For more information about the Task Force, visit here.
The City of Wyoming will again be represented by Republican State Rep. Tommy Brann in the 77th district after voting Tuesday, Nov. 3. In the 72nd district race, which includes Kentwood and Gaines Township, incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Johnson defeated Democrat Lily Cheng-Schulting — despite the challenger gaining more Kent County votes than Johnson.
Also in unofficial (uncertified) results, two-term incumbent Rep. Brann of Wyoming, defeated Democratic challenger Bob Smith of Byron Center, 29,911 to 19,784. The 77th District House of Representatives seat covers the City of Wyoming, Byron Township and a portion of Cutlerville.
“I want to thank the 77th district,” Rep. Brann said to WKTV on Nov. 4. Rep. Brann’s wife “Sue and I care about your concerns and you personally. We will continue to give back half of my legislative salary to people in my district in need.
“Bob Smith was very classy and called me this morning to congratulate me. I asked him sometime if I can buy him lunch at my restaurant so I can get to know him better. I am the 77th district representative and I know my oath to protect the health and safety of Michigan citizens is for all my district and I carry that part of my oath in my wallet and that is for all of you whether you voted for me or not. I take that very seriously, as I should.”
After the result were in, Smith said to WKTV: “Thank you to everyone who voted me and to everyone who helped me along the way. We made a good run. I wish the best of luck to Tommy Brann as he begins his final term in the state house.”
In Michigan, state representatives are term-limited to three terms.
Allegan voters carry Rep. Johnson to re-election
Overall, in both Kent and Allegan county unofficial results posted on each county’s election website, Rep. Johnson totaled 29,608 votes while Cheng-Schulting totaled 24,159.
However, in unofficial (uncertified) Kent County results, two-term incumbent Rep. Johnson of Wayland, trailed Cheng-Schulting of Kentwood, 20,271 to 20,973. The 72nd District House of Representative seat covers the cities of Kentwood and Wayland, along with a portion of Cutlerville and the community of Dorr.
“Although we were not able to win this election, we are grateful for the record number of votes for our campaign, especially in Kentwood,” Cheng-Schulting said to WKTV. “I would also like to congratulate Steve Johnson on his re-election win. I … hope that he will go on to be a representative who truly looks out for everyone in District 72.”
Note: For the Michigan Nov. 3 general election, WKTV’s We The People program invited participation from all candidates. If they participated, their videos are linked here, For those who did not participate, either a candidate-provided biography/issues statement, or simply their name is listed. All videos are 5-minutes or less, and were not edited in any way by WKTV. For this race only, due to COVID-19 related circumstances, the videos were recorded via Zoom.
The 2nd Congressional District U.S. House of Representative seat covers Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties in their entirety as well as portions of Allegan, Mason and Kent counties, including the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood. For a Michigan Congressional District map, click here.
The candidates are five-term incumbent Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Holland, Democratic candidate Rev. Bryan Berghoef of Holland, Libertarian candidate Max Riekse of Fruitport, US Taxpayers Party candidate Gerald T. Van Sickle of Wellston, and Green Party candidate Jean-Michel Creviere of Holland.
Bill Huizenga – Incumbent U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District
Occupation: Small business owner, Huizenga Gravel Co.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
As a husband, father, and third generation family small business owner, I understand what makes West Michigan such a special place. As a lifelong resident of West Michigan, I am committed to upholding the West Michigan values that we hold dear, creating new opportunities for hardworking families, and protecting our Great Lakes. As your representative, I have proven myself to be a leader in the effort to rein in Washington’s out of control spending, cut taxes for hard working middle class families, and level the playing field for Michigan farmers and growers.
However, the job is not done. We don’t need West Michigan to be more like Washington, we need Washington to be more like West Michigan and that is exactly what I will continue fighting for.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
As your Representative in Congress, my responsibility is to stand up and take action for West Michigan. During my time in office, I have led in uncertain times, worked to create an environment for new and better jobs, and stood up for West Michigan common sense.
When COVID-19 struck, I introduced legislation to help keep doctors and nurses at work, deliveries on the road, and food on the shelves at the local grocery stores. As a small business owner, I understand the challenges of today’s economy. I am working hard to ensure that everyone in West Michigan has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Foremost, I never forget that I represent the people of West Michigan, which is why I will continue fighting for quality education, affordable health-care, protection of the unborn, and the protection of the Great Lakes.
Rev. Bryan Berghoef — Candidate U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District
Occupation: Pastor
Why did you decide to run for this position?
As a pastor, my job is to listen to people. The job of a representative is also to listen, and too many folks don’t feel they are being listened to or that their voice is represented in Congress. I’d like to change that.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
COVID. People want a thorough, national response, and need COVID relief passed.
Healthcare. We need to make coverage more affordable, and protect coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Environment. We must protect the Great Lakes, address the threat of climate change, and move toward cleaner sources of energy.
Max Riekse — Candidate U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District
Gerald T. Van Sickle — Candidate U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District
Jean-Michel Creviere — Candidate U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District
Note: For the Michigan Nov. 3 general election, WKTV’s We The People program invited participation from all candidates. If they participated, their videos are linked here, For those who did not participate, either a candidate-provided biography/issues statement, or simply their name is listed. All videos are 5-minutes or less, and were not edited in any way by WKTV.
State of Michigan 72nd District House of Representatives
The 72nd District House of Representative seat covers the cities of Kentwood and Wayland, along with a portion of Cutlerville and the community of Dorr. For a district map, click here and then search for district 072.
The candidates are a two-term incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Johnson of Wayland, and Democratic challenger Lily Cheng-Schulting of Kentwood.
Steven Johnson – Incumbent State Representative 72nd District
Occupation: State Representative for the 72nd District for the past 4 years; former Staff Sergeant in U.S. Air Force, worked on nuclear missiles.
Why did you decide to run for this position? And issues you feel voters are facing:
I am running for reelection to:
Work on providing more government transparency so taxpayers have a better understanding of how and where their hard earned money is being spent.
Reduce government debt so our children are not burdened by our actions today.
Improve the quality of education by giving parents more options and ensuring our education policy understands that each student learns differently and a one-size-fits all policy does not work.
Lily Cheng-Schulting — Candidate State Representative 72nd District
Occupation: Founder and President of the Disability A-Team of West Michigan (501c3 non-profit), and Disability and Human Rights Advocate
Why did you decide to run for this position?
As I am a proven disability and human rights advocate, I am running to ensure a high quality of life for everyone in our district! At this time, many people are hurting. Our society is facing many unaddressed social, economic, racial, and environmental problems. We need more healing and less division. I will, therefore, listen to all views and work together with you to create solutions. I will also dedicate my skills, my experience, and my energy to create positive changes for everyone, including people with disabilities, people of color, and our working class.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Families across District 72 are strongly concerned about the quality of education for all students. Since I share everyone’s concern for the quality of education and equity in education, one of my top priorities will be education.
Many families across District 72 are also concerned about the combination of healthcare, disability services, and mental healthcare. Many families either have or know someone close to them who has a disability or mental health challenge. Since disability services and mental health are both local and state issues, I will make every effort to ensure access to high quality services to aid everyone’s present and future quality of life.
Almost all voters are deeply concerned about their neighbors and the myriad of issues which affect their neighbors. They are concerned about equality and fairness for all people. They are also concerned about our working class and small businesses, since many of their neighbors have small businesses.
State of Michigan 77th District House of Representatives
The 77th District House of Representatives seat covers the City of Wyoming, Byron Township and a portion of Cutlerville. For a district map, click here and then search for district 077.
There are two candidates are two-term incumbent Republican Rep. Tommy Brann of Wyoming and Democratic challenger Bob Smith of Byron Twp.
Tommy Brand — Incumbent State Representative 77th District
Occupation: restaurant owner and state representative
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I have been a small business owner for 49 years and in the restaurant business, which is the hardest business in the world. My restaurant I take to Lansing every day in the form of my employees struggles, customers living life and my small business mind that knows how important costs and waste are in a small business and now I bring that mindset to Lansing on costs and waste.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Three issues are the virus, employment due to them, and jobs, and that is one really. The other two is health care and my citizens safety. I took an oath to protect the health and safety of my citizens and I carry that oath, Section 51 and article 4, in my wallet.
Bob Smith — Challenger State Representative 77th District
Occupation: Factory worker. I am a Production Team Member at North America Fuel Systems Remanufacturing in Kentwood.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I have spent most of my life working hard to get ahead, but rarely doing more than barely keeping up. Involvement in union leadership inspired me to find other ways to serve. Seeing laws passed in Lansing that were designed to keep workers’ pay low inspired me to run for public office.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Employment uncertainty due to the Covid-19 crisis, inflation outpacing wage growth, and concerns about sending their kids back to school during the Covid; or not being able to work if the kids continue online schooling.
Note: For the Michigan Nov. 3 general election, WKTV’s We The People program invited participation from all candidates. If they participated, their videos are linked here. For those who did not participate, either a candidate-provided biography/issues statement, or simply their name is listed. All videos are 5-minutes or less of interview, and were not edited in any way by WKTV.
Kent County District Attorney
Republican Incumbent Kent County District Attorney Chris Becker, of Ada, is running unopposed for the position.
Chris Becker — Incumbent Kent County District Attorney
Kent County Clerk/Register of Deeds
There are three candidates, Republican incumbent Lisa Posthumus Lyons of Bowen Twp., Democratic candidate Devin Ortega-Furgeson of Wyoming, and Libertarian candidate Jamie Lewis of Grand Rapids.
Lisa Posthumus Lyons — Incumbent Kent County Clerk/Register of Deeds
Occupation: Kent County Clerk/Register of Deeds
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I’m proud to call Kent County my home and am so grateful for the opportunity to serve my community. As a lifelong resident of Kent County, where my husband and I are now raising our four children, I have deep appreciation for the values that make Kent County a wonderful place to live, work, and serve. I am running for re-election as Kent County Clerk/Register to continue providing a strong voice for West Michigan, and to build upon my record of providing efficient, effective, and transparent leadership to Kent County residents.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
I believe the voters of Kent County want their local government to run efficiently and effectively. My office is diverse: Clerk (vital records, elections), Register of Deeds (property records), and Clerk of the Circuit Court (court records). Rapidly changing technology is changing the way we serve the public. During my first term we’ve modernized our vital and land records recording technology, as well as implemented new campaign finance management software for elections. Our next challenge will be the implementation of e-filing of court records. The recent COVID-19 shutdown proved the essential need for citizens to be able to remotely interact with the county, and I’m committed to making that process easier for all residents.
Devin Ortega-Furgeson — Candidate Kent County Clerk/Register of Deeds
Jamie Lewis — Candidate Kent County Clerk/Register of Deeds
Kent County Drain Commissioner
There are three candidates, Republican incumbent Ken Yonker of Caledonia, Democratic candidate Elaine Isely of Grand Rapids Twp., and Libertarian candidate Alex Avery of Wyoming.
Elaine Isely — Candidate Kent County Drain Commissioner
Occupation: Water resources professional/attorney, current position is Director of Water Programs at West Michigan Environmental Action Council
Why did you decide to run for this position?
Water is our most important natural resource, and everyone has a right to clean and safe water. I have 15 years experience working on water resource management and stormwater policy issues, and I’d like to bring my expertise and passion for this work to this office to serve the residents of Kent County.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Water pollution and high water levels. The Drain Commissioner is responsible for stormwater management and water drainage to prevent flooding. Stormwater is our largest source of pollution to our waterways, and flooding can create health hazards and property damage. Kent County deserve a Drain Commissioner who better understands these issues and the impacts they can have on our water system.
Ken Yonker — Incumbent Kent County Drain Commissioner
Alex Avery — Candidate Kent County Drain Commissioner
Kent County Treasurer
There are two candidates, two-term Republican State Sen. Peter MacGregor of Canon Twp., and Democratic candidate Beth White of Grand Rapids.
Peter MacGregor – Candidate for Kent County treasurer
Occupation: Michigan State Senator, District 28
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I have a passion to serve the community I love. With your vote for the next Kent County Treasurer, I can continue to serve our community, where I have run a successful business and raised my family. As part of the Kent County executive team, I want to continue to help our county in areas other than just as the custodian of your tax dollars. My competencies and experiences will be helpful with Kent County’s services for children, and mental and behavioral health.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
The responsibility of a county treasurer is to be the custodian of all county funds and to invest the county’s funds responsibly. The second responsibility is the collection of delinquent property taxes. Due to the pandemic, both residents and businesses are struggling to make ends meet and property taxes are one of the largest expense that they have during these uncertain times. I want to be able to work for those residents who may need a little more time and help to keep their head above water. Continuing fiscal responsibility, maintaining the county’s “Triple A Bond Rating”, and helping our taxpayers through these uncertain times will be the greatest challenge for the next county treasurer.
Beth White – Candidate for Kent County treasurer
Occupation: Attorney
Why did you decide to run for this position?
At this point in our history, I believe it is time for every person with integrity and skill to get off the sidelines. That’s why I’m running for Treasurer.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
The main concern for voters everywhere is the uncertainty brought about by this unprecedented pandemic. People are worried about their physical and financial health. They are worried about their jobs. They are worried about educating their children, and keeping them safe. A local county treasurer can’t resolve all of the very real anxieties people are feeling right now. But honest, steady leadership is needed at all levels of government. That’s what I hope to bring to the job.
Kent County Sheriff
There are three candidates, Republican incumbent Michelle LaJoye-Young of Caledonia Twp., Democratic candidate Marc Burns of Cascade Twp., and Libertarian candidate John Glen Stedman of Wyoming.
Michelle LaJoye-Young — Incumbent Republican Kent County Sheriff
Occupation: Kent County Sheriff, and 31 years with the department
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I have dedicated my entire adult life to serving the residents of Kent County and am incredibly honored to lead the men and women of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department. I have the experience in leading the department in thought and direction to guide us forward in meeting the needs of all Kent County residents. I have lead the department through many challenges and believe that the opportunities to grow and develop are here and there are many ways we can learn from the past and guide the future.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
There have been a lot of public and private conversations regarding policing in America. I think building on the strengths of the police departments in our community is very important. Having experience in leadership to understand what things can be done and what things will be effective is important.
There is a tremendous amount of divisiveness in some of our conversations. To grow as a community we must continue to work on ways that we can come together and build on the wonderful foundation we have in Kent County while ensuring that the opportunity to be safe where we live, work, play and worship is protected for everyone.
Marc Burns — Candidate Kent County Sheriff
Occupation: Current Special Agent in Enforcement, and served for 26 years at the Sheriff’s Department
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I am running for Sheriff because I have most real experience of any candidate and real transparency and accountability must be at the forefront of the Sheriff’s Department.
Please list two to three issues you feel your voters are facing:
Citizens of Kent County need to know I am going to end misuse of tax payer dollars, to end the lack of oversight for accountability by the current administration, to end cronyism and to allow for real change and reform in policing and in our communities.
With election day now less than four weeks away, Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons announced this week her office’s Kent County Votes, a voter education effort which offers county voters information resources “to vote safely and securely up to and on November 3rd.”
Part of that effort is a public service announcement recorded at WKTV Community Media, as well as radio and digital advertisements, and upcoming tele-townhall events will provide voters the opportunity to ask questions of Kent County election administrators.
The effort also includes a redesign of the Kent County Elections website, now accessible via KentCountyVotes.com.
“Your right to vote is sacred, and so is your right to safety,” Posthumus Lyons said in supplied material and the WKTV video. “In Kent County we take both very seriously. COVID-19 has disrupted a lot this year, but it won’t disrupt this fall’s election.”
Four tips for voters
According to a statement from the clerk’s office, there are four aspects of the Nov. 3 election voters should be aware of:
Whether voters cast their ballots in-person at the polls or cast an absentee ballot, their vote will be counted this year. Clerks across the county are busy modifying polling places to adhere to CDC safety and social distancing guidelines as well. It will be safe to vote in person. Polling locations can be found at kentcountyvotes.com.
Recent election law changes make registering and voting easier than ever before. Every registered voter now has the right to vote absentee without needing an excuse. Also, citizens can register right up to and even on election day at their local clerk’s office, and still cast their ballot. However, it is highly encouraged to register before election day.
The new State of Michigan Absentee Ballot return envelope. (WKTV)
Those choosing to vote absentee have three options for returning their ballots: hand deliver a completed ballot to your city or township clerk’s office; return the ballot by mail, but plan accordingly by mailing the ballot back at least 7-10 before Election Day; or drop your ballot off in a designated secure drop box in the city or township where the voter is registered. Drop box locations can be found at kentcountyvotes.com.
Posthumus also reminds voters to “be patient when it’s time for results … The Clerk’s office expects a larger-than-ever number of absentee ballots, which might mean waiting a little longer for results. Kent County election officials will work as quickly as possible to report complete and accurate election results.”
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mi) on Aug. 25 visited a U.S. Postal Office (USPS) processing facility and then talked at the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 56 in Kentwood. (WKTV)
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mi) on Tuesday visited a U.S. Postal Office (USPS) processing facility on Patterson Avenue SE in Grand Rapids to see first-hand the causes of slowdowns, delays and backlogs he says are occurring in communities across the country.
After the Aug. 25 tour and at a media opportunity at the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 56 in nearby Kentwood, Sen. Peters stressed that his concerns — and the investigation of postal service changes he has recently initiated as ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — are not solely about the pending November election.
He said that postal service operational changes are preventing veterans from receiving timely delivery of their prescription medications through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ mail-order pharmacy service. He also said he has heard firsthand that delays are directly impacting small businesses in West Michigan and across the county.
However, answering a question from WKTV, he expressed confidence in the ability of local city and township clerks — in Wyoming and Kentwood and statewide — to reliably count the ballots they will receive, but he also expressed some concerns about “possible” delays in the handling mail-in ballots.
“What we are seeing right now, that concerns me, because of the delays we have been hearing,” Sen. Peters said, adding that he had also been told about delays in mail-in ballots getting to voters from the city clerk in his hometown of Bloomfield Hills.
He also, though, gave advice on how Wyoming and Kentwood voters can avoid any issue with possible postal delays in mail-on ballots — request and acquire the ballots early, mail them early or drop them off directly at the local clerks’ offices. (See his entire statement at this video link.)
Last week, Sen. Peters, who is running for election to the Senate against Republican challenger John James as well as other independent candidates, led a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. DeJoy, who became Postmaster General two months ago, was questioned on the policy and operational changes possibly resulting in delayed mail across the country.
This fall the residents of the City of Wyoming will select a new 8th District representative on the Kent County Board of Commissioners. But before that happens, WKTV Journal In Focus sat down with Wyoming’s current commissioner, Harold Voorhees. But serving the local community on the county body is only latest of a nearly four decade career for the long-time public servant.
As he prepares to leave office — and we all find our what’s next in his public service life — WKTV Journal In Focus sat down with Mr. Voohees. We talked about his last months of his nearly two-decade tenure serving Wyoming and Kent County, about his leadership work within City of Wyoming beginning in the late 1980s as a councilman and as the city’s mayor, and then his three terms in Lansing as a state representative.
While he will not be on the ballot this November, as he declined to seek reelection, he hinted about what’s next as we talked about his decision, his pubic service, and, of course, those cookies.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Gerrid Uzarski, Elections Director for the Kent County Clerk and Register Department, center, assists members of the Kent County Board of Canvassers in the handling of August 2020 primary election results awaiting certification on Aug. 6. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
With the Aug. 4 primary votes in — and the election security verification process of the Kent County Board of Canvassers verifying and certifying the unofficial results in process — the Nov. 3 general election is set and will have a wide spectrum of elected officeholders for Wyoming and Kentwood voters to decide upon, from Kentwood’s District Court judge to President of the United States.
And with the addition of independent candidates (neither Republican nor Democrat) having filed with the Kent County Elections Office, the candidate field is set.
City of Wyoming City Council
City of Wyoming voters will have three seats on the City Council to be voted on in November and two of the three future unopposed incumbents. Marissa K. Postler and Robert Postema are unopposed for the 2nd Ward and the 3rd Ward council seats, respectively. While Rob Arnoys and John Fitzgerald will vie for a Commissioner-at-large seat.
City of Kentwood district court
Kentwood’s 62 B District Court non-partisan judgeship, part of the Kent County Court System, will be contested by Amanda Sterkenburg and Joe Jackson, both of Kentwood.
Kent County Board of Commissioners
After Republican primary election voting for Kent County Board of Commissioner 8th District seat, current City of Wyoming City Councilor Dan Burrill will face off with Democrat Sarah Chatterly of Wyoming in the November general election.
In the 7th District (Grandville/part of Wyoming), Republican incumbent and Grandville resident Stan Ponstein will face off in November with Democrat and Grandville resident Jane Newton.
In the 9th District (Byron Twp./part of Wyoming), incumbent Republican Matt Kallman will be opposed by Keith Courtade (D) of Wyoming, while in the 12th District (Kentwood/part of Wyoming and Grand Rapids) incumbent Democrat Monica Sparks of Kentwood and Grand Rapids Republican Ryan Malinoski will face off in November.
State House of Representatives
Also Tuesday, Lily Cheng-Schulting won the Democratic primary race to challenge incumbent State Rep. Steven Johnson (R) in the 72nd District (which includes Kentwood). The 77th District (which includes Wyoming) will have incumbent Rep. Tommy Brann (R) of Wyoming running against Democrat Bob Smith of Byron Center.
Kent County-wide elections
In a Kent County-wide Democratic primary race for Kent County Treasurer, Beth White of Grand Rapids won the vote and will face off with current State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R) of Rockford in November.
Also in countywide general election news, the Kent County Election Department’s current November ballot lists several independent party candidates that have filed as candidates for Kent County Sheriff, Clerk/Register of Deeds and Drain Commissioner, as well as state and federal races.
Libertarian John Glen Stedman, of Wyoming, has joined the race for Sheriff which includes current Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young (R) add Democrat Marc Burns.
Libertarian Jamie Lewis, of Grand Rapids, will be on the ballot against current county Clerk/Register of Deeds Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R) and Wyoming resident Devin Ortega-Furgeson (D). And Libertarian Alex Avery, of Wyoming, is in the race for Drain Commissioner with incumbent Ken Yonker (R) and Democrat Elaine Isely.
Current Kent County District Attorney Chris Becker (R) is running for reelection unopposed this election cycle.
Wyoming’s and Kentwood’s federal elected positions
In Michigan’s 2nd U.S. Congressional District (which includes Wyoming and Kentwood) incumbent Rep. Bill Huizenga (R) and Rev. Bryan Berghoef (D) are on the November ballot, as well as Libertarian candidate Max Riekse of Fruitport, US Taxpayers candidate Gerald T. Van Sickle of Wellston and Green candidate Jean-Michel Creviere of Holland.
Wyoming and Kentwood voters will in November also select between incumbent U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D), Republican John James, US Taxpayers Party candidate Valerie L. Willis of Gaylord, and Green Party candidate Marcia Squier of Sterling Heights.
And, of course, there is that presidential race to be decided.
President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will represent the Republican Party, and Joseph R. Biden and an as-yet unnamed vice president candidate will represent the Democratic Party. But there will also be other candidates on the Michigan ballots.
The Libertarian Party will have the team of Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina and Jeremy Cohen listed as president and vice president candidates. The US Taxpayers will have Don Blankenship of West Virginia and William Mohr. The Green Party will have Howie Hawkins of New York and Angela Walker.
With final unofficial Kent County Elections Office results in from the Tuesday, Aug. 4, primary election, Wyoming voters will have a familiar face — current City of Wyoming City Councilor Dan Burrill — representing the Republican party on the November ballot for Kent County Board of Commissioner 8th District seat.
Burrill defeated Denise Kolesar of Grandville in the Republican primary, 2,128 to 950, and will face off with Democrat Sarah Chatterly of Wyoming in the November general election.
State House of Representatives 72nd District voters (which includes the City of Kentwood) have selected Democrat Lily Cheng-Schulting to challenge incumbent State Rep. Steven Johnson (R). Cheng-Schulting of Grand Rapids defeated Cade Wilson of Kentwood, 4,723 to 2,708, in the Democratic primary.
Both Burrill and Cheng-Schulting visited the WKTV studio for We the People candidate videos during the primary campaign.
In county-wide primary contests, Beth White of Grand Rapids defeated José L. Reyna of Ada in the Democratic primary race for Kent County Treasurer, and will face off with current State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R) of Rockford in November. White gained 31,206 votes to Reyna’s 29,935.
Also of note from the primary election was the percentage of voter turnout, and the number of day-off, in-person votes cast compared to absentee votes cast.
In the county commission 8th District Republican primary won by Burrill, there was more absentee votes cast (1,604) than election day (1,483). In the state house 72nd Democratic primary won by Cheng-Schulting, there was even more of a majority voting absentee, 5,445 to 2,007.
Overall, Kent County wide, 97,835 absentee ballots were cast compared to 51,267 day of voting. Also county wide, just over 31 percent of the county’s 480,558 registered voter cast a ballot.
To finalize the county election results, the Kent County Board of Canvassers will meet Thursday, Aug. 6, beginning at 9 a.m., at the Kent County Administration Building, and will be meeting every weekday until Aug. 20, or until the canvass of the Primary Election is complete.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters will be in Wyoming this week to visit a local business. This photo is from a visit to another business in Traverse City this year. (Supplied)
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) will visit City of Wyoming business Total Plastics International Friday, July 24, in a non-public event to “highlight work to support businesses adapting to challenges posed by COVID-19”, according to a July 22 statement form the senator’s office.
The senator, currently running for re-election, will also “discuss efforts to strengthen domestic medical supply manufacturing and production in Michigan, (and) reduce dependence on foreign countries,” including China, according to the statement.
Total Plastics International received a loan from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as part of the federal CARES Act. More recently, Sen. Peters helped pass legislation that gave small businesses with PPP loans — such as Total Plastics International — more “flexibility in using the forgivable loans to maintain operations,” according to the statement.
Total Plastics International is a distributor and manufacturer of plastic sheet, rod, tube, film and tape that has operated in Michigan for over four decades, according to supplied material. Since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Total Plastics International has altered their business model to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline health care professionals and essential workers throughout the country.
West Michigan venues associated with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), which was formed to try to save independent venues and promoters across the country, issued a call this week that they needed fan support of a federal bill which is hoped would rescue what has been a “first to close and last to open” industry.
The Restart Act — U.S. Senate Bill 3814 and U.S. House of Representatives House Resolution 7481 — “would ensure the survival of independent (music) venues, festivals and promoters across the nation,” according to a local NIVA statement.
Among other actions, both bills would allow small venues to apply for federal small business loans, something they are unable to do under current federal CARES Act provisions.
“The Restart Act needs your voice. This is it. For our industry it’s the last opportunity we will have to survive,” the management of Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up posted on their Facebook page this week. “If Seven Steps Up is the only survivor or even one of a handful, there is no music industry.
“Please contact your senators and representatives today!! Please. TODAY!! This isn’t about us. THIS IS ABOUT THE ENTIRE LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY. Yes, we are shouting. We are begging. We are pleading for your help!!” (Punctuation directly from the Facebook post.)
Among the other local NIVA member venues are The Pyramid Scheme and the Wealthy Theatre. (For an early COVID-19 shutdown report on Seven Steps and The Pyramid Scheme, see a WKTV story here.)
Without support from Congress, 90 percent of NIVA’s independent venues, festivals, and promoters across America say they will be forced to close their doors forever, according to the local NIVA statement.
“Without inclusion in the next stimulus bill, this might be the last chance for your favorite independent venues, festivals, and promoters,” the statement continues. “Tell your reps that life support for independent venues and promoters must be included.”
The NIVA also urges that “even if you’ve written once, please make your voices heard now. It’s quick, easy, and free. Ask your legislators to support and co-sponsor S. 3814/H.R. 7481, the RESTART Act, introduced by Senators (Todd) Young and (Michael) Bennet in the Senate and Representatives (Jared) Golden and (Mike) Kelly in the House.”
In each case, the co-sponsors of the Senate and House bills are bipartisan, meaning of each Democratic and Republican parties.
To get involved and to contact local federal legislative leaders, go to SaveOurStages.com.
“The form for the letter is already filled in, you just have to add your name. It takes less than 30 seconds,” according to the localNIVA statement. “This link will automatically populate with your Senators and Congressional Representative based on your zip code.”
For more information on the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) visit NIVAssoc.org. For more information on Seven Steps Up, located at 116 S. Jackson., Spring Lake, visit sevenstepsup.com. for more information on Pyramid Scheme, located at 68 Commerce SW, Grand Rapids, visit pyramidschemebar.com.
Note: For the Michigan Aug. 4 primary, WKTV’s We The People program invited participation from all candidates for any seat where there is a contested primary in either party. For the general election, all candidates will be invited to record a We The People.
Kent County Treasurer
There are three candidates, one a two-term Republican state senator and two in the Democratic primary, seeking the Kent County Treasurer position. They are State Sen. Peter MacGregor of Rockford, and Democratic primary candidates José L. Reyna of Ada and Beth White of Grand Rapids.
Note: Neither MacGregor nor White were available for a We The People video recording prior to the primary. The Republican and Democratic primary winners will be invited to participate after the August primary.
Peter MacGregor – Incumbent State Senator and county treasurer candidate
Party: Republican
José L. Reyna – County treasurer primary candidate
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Consultant/semi-retired
Why did you decide to run for the 72nd District House of Representatives seat?
I grew up in Grand Rapids/Kent County and have dedicated my professional career to public service. I decided to run for the office of Kent County Treasurer with the interest of continuing my service to the community that I love and use my professional experience of over 30 years for the benefit of the Kent County community. My experience includes decades of financial management including serving as a director of departments with the responsibility of developing and managing budgets. My tenure with the City of Grand Rapids as Assistant to the City Manager and Fiscal Services Manager/Purchasing Agent provided me with extensive experience with public finance from developing and administering the City’s Fiscal Plan, departmental budgets, and oversight of the City’s procurement process. Additionally, I served as acting Director for the City’s Assessor’s Department and led the transformation of the department and its function to bring it into compliance with State law. I am eager to serve as Kent County Treasurer and apply my extensive experience in public finance in combination with my commitment to the people of Kent County.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
The incumbent Kent County Treasurer has done an outstanding job in leading the financial management and operations of the County. It is my interest to build on the County’s strong financial position and legacy of service. I do have several areas of priority that I would like improve for the benefit of the County and its residents, including financial management, public outreach and engagement, and customer service focused innovations.
It took exactly one day for opposition to come rolling in after Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced May 19 that all registered voters in Michigan will receive an application to vote by absentee ballot in the August and November elections.
“By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote,” Benson said in a statement from her office. “Voting by mail is easy, convenient, safe, and secure, and every voter in Michigan has the right to do it.”
According to the Secretary’s office, of the 7.7 million registered voters in the state, about 1.3 million are on the permanent absent voter list, and their local election clerk mails them applications ahead of every election.
“Additionally, some jurisdictions are mailing applications to all local registered voters,” according to the Secretary’s statement. “The Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections has ensured all remaining registered voters receive an application.”
But ranging from two Wednesday, May 20, Tweets from President Donald J. Trump, to a statement to WKTV from Kent County Clerk/Register Lisa Posthumus Lyons — both Republicans — not everyone agrees with the Democrat Secretary of State’s action.
“My office was not consulted nor had any knowledge that the Secretary of State would be violating the law by sending unsolicited ballot applications,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We support conducting elections according to the constitution and Michigan law, and this practice is unconstitutional.”
A Twitter back and forth
On his official @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, the President today said: “Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
Secretary Benson, responding to the President’s May 20 Tweet, Tweeted herself: “Hi! I also have a name, it’s Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia.”
After Secretary Benson responded, the President’s original Tweet was deleted and another posted which corrected the original by saying “Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people …”.
Secretary Benson also defended her action in her original, May 19, statement.
“We appreciate that some clerks are proactively protecting public health by mailing applications to all their registered voters, and we are fulfilling our responsibility to provide all voters equal access,” Benson said in the statement. “We know from the elections that took place this month that during the pandemic Michiganders want to safely vote.”
Mostly absentee May voting set records
According to the Secretary’s statement, record-breaking turnout was recorded in the approximately 50 elections held across 33 counties on May 5, with nearly 25 percent of eligible voters casting ballots and 99 percent of them doing so by mail or in a drop box.
In contrast, from 2010 to 2019, average turnout in local elections in May was 12 percent.
The absentee ballot application mailing from the Bureau of Elections includes a cover letter with instructions from Secretary Benson, according to the statement. Once a voter signs their application, they can mail it or email a photo of it to their local clerk, whose contact information is included on the application. The application is also available for download at Michigan.gov/Vote. At the same website, voters can also register and join the permanent absent voter list so they always have the option to vote by mail.
“The vast majority of voters across the political spectrum want the option to vote by mail,” Benson said in the statement. “Mailing applications to all registered voters is one of the ways that we are ensuring Michigan’s elections will continue to be safe, accurate and secure.”
May ballot was a unique voting process
After an executive order by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the May 5 voting was conducted using a hybrid system of encouraging absentee voting, either by mail or by dropping of absentee ballots, and having only a few vote-in-person sites. The Wyoming and Kentwood city clerk’s offices were the only locations to vote in person in the cities on May 5.
While Kent County election officials, and the city clerks of both Wyoming and Kentwood, abided by the state mandate in May, Kent County Clerk Lyons said her office will conduct the August and November elections by current laws — unless there is another executive order by the Governor.
“Until the legislature changes the law or the Governor issues an executive order, we are preparing to run the August and November elections as a normal — with in-person and absentee voting options available,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We will also continue to work with our local clerks to protect the health and safety of election workers and voters while preserving the security and integrity of the election.”
The 2020 election cycle, the August primary and the November general elections, will have a wide spectrum of officeholders for Wyoming and Kentwood voters to decide upon.
The 2020 election cycle, the August primary and the November general elections, will have a wide spectrum of officeholders for Wyoming and Kentwood voters to decide upon — from Kentwood’s District Court judge to President of the United States.
As the candidate deadline for the filing for partisan positions on the fall primary and November ballots passed today, April 21, at 4 p.m., a review of the Kent County Elections Office list also includes three local developments of special note.
Three candidates will vie for the Kent County Board of Commissioners 8th District seat, which is entirely in the boundaries of the City of Wyoming, but current commissioner and long-time public servant Harold Voorhees will not be one of them.
And current State Sen. Peter MacGregor (Republican, 28th District) is running for Kent County Treasurer, an action that if successful would require him to resign from his senate seat two years before term limits would force him to do so.
Both Commissioner Voorhees and Sen. MacGregor talked to WKTV briefly today about their decisions.
For Commissioner Voorhees, this is just the right time.
Commissioner Harold Voorhees
“At the end of 2020, I will have served 30 years in elected office. I think this is the right time for someone else,” Voorhees said. “I have been blessed to be able to serve people in three different elected offices … (and) my wife and I are in our 80s and we are blessed with good health. So why not spend more time with our six children, 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. We have lots of visiting to do.”
The new county commission’s 8th District commissioner, to be decided in November, will be either the sole Democrat to file, Sarah Chatterley of Wyoming, or the winner of an Aug. 2 Republican Party primary between current City of Wyoming City Council Member-at-large Dan Burrill and Grandville’s Denise Kolesar.
Additionally, in the county commission’s 13th District (Kentwood), incumbent Democrat Betsy Melton filed early but then removed her name late in the process, so fellow Democrat Michelle McCloud and Republican Levi Cipcic, both unopposed in the primary, will face off in November.
As far as Sen. MacGregor’s decision, he told WKTV that his love of public service — he has more than 11 years as a state representative and now state senator — and looming term limits are what drove him to the decision.
State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R-28th District)
“I truly love serving the people” of Kent County, he said. “Maybe I can use my skill set to continue serving this way … (and) this is kind of a free shot to test that.”
If he does not win the treasurer seat, Sen. MacGregor would continue to serve his final two years in the senate.
Also seeking the county treasurer job, and running in the Democratic primary, are José L. Reyna and Beth White, the winner of which will face MacGregor in the general election.
City of Wyoming City Council
City of Wyoming voters will have three seats on the City Council to be voted on, all three on the November ballot and two of the three unopposed at this point. Incumbents Marissa K. Postler and Robert Postema have filed for the 2nd Ward and the 3rd Ward council seats, respectively. Rob Arnoys and John Fitzgerald have filed for a Commissioner-at-large seat.
Kent County Board of Commissioners
In other Kent County Board of Commissioners contests, in the 7th District (Grandville/part of Wyoming), Republican incumbent and Grandville resident Stan Ponstein and Democrat and Grandville resident Jane Newton will run unopposed in August and face off in November.
In the 9th District (Byron Twp./part of Wyoming), incumbent Republican Matt Kallman will be opposed by Keith Courtade (D) of Wyoming, while in the 12th District (Kentwood/part of Wyoming and Grand Rapids) incumbent Democrat Monica Sparks of Kentwood and Grand Rapids Republican Ryan Malinoski will run unopposed in August and face off in November.
Kent County-wide elections
Current Kent County District Attorney Chris Becker (R) will run for reelection unopposed this election cycle, but current Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young (R) will be opposed Democrat Marc Burns.
Current county Clerk/Register of Deeds Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R) will also be opposed, by Wyoming resident Devin Ortega-Furgeson (D). And current Drain Commissioner Ken Yonker (R) will be opposed by Elaine Isely (D).
Part of the Kent County Court System, Kentwood’s current 62 B District Court Judge William G. is bared from running again due to a state law setting an age limit of 70. Running for the non-partisan seat is Amanda Sterkenburg and Joe Jackson, both of Kentwood.
According to the Kent County Elections Office, local judicial candidates will only be on the November candidate listing unless they are forced into a primary (if more than twice the number of candidates file for the number of seats to be elected). If that happens, there will be a primary on the August ballot.
Wyoming’s and Kentwood’s state, federal elected positions
In the Michigan State House of Representatives 72nd District, which includes Kentwood, incumbent Rep. Steven Johnson (R) of Wayland will run unopposed in the primary but in November will face the winner of a Democratic primary between Lily Cheng-Schulting of Grand Rapids and Cade Wilson of Kentwood.
The state house 77th District (which includes Wyoming) will have incumbent Tommy Brann of Wyoming running unopposed in the Republican primary and, in November, he will face the winner of an August Democratic primary field of Bob Smith of Byron Center and Dana Knight of Wyoming.
In Michigan’s 2nd U.S. Congressional District (which includes Wyoming and Kentwood) incumbent Rep. Bill Huizenga (R) and Rev. Bryan Berghoef (D) will also run unopposed in August and face off in November.
Wyoming and Kentwood voters will in November also select between incumbent U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D) two Republicans running in the August primary, John James and Bob Carr.
According to the Kent County Elections Office, “Candidates without party affiliation have until 4 p.m. on July 16 to file petitions to appear on the November ballot.” So independents could still file for offices.
In future Michigan classrooms, the age of COVID-19 will be studied by all age groups. A new Michigan History Center program seeks to collect stories to tell. (U.S. Army)
The State of Michigan, like most governmental agencies, puts out press releases to media sources on a wide-range of issues almost daily. Some are important for the public to know; some are just routine governmental business. Some make the news and some do not.
We at WKTV have decided that in these times of COVID-19, of often-filtered news, we’d let the state departments say what they want to say to the pubic a little more directly. Following are links to State of Michigan releases from the Easter Sunday holiday weekend, April 9-12 — with a little emphasis given by our staff on what we found interesting.
Michigan History Center seeks public input for COVID-19 pandemic project
The Michigan History Center has announced a new collecting initiative that gives residents the opportunity to share stories that reflect their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, for the benefit of future generations.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is a critical moment in history, and the Michigan History Center is committed to documenting — through objects, archival materials, stories and experiences from diverse Michiganders — how the coronavirus is affecting Michigan residents in the workplace, at home, in communities and in many other settings,” an April 11 press release states.
The first phase of the three-phase collecting initiative is active right now. It offers a web-based platform for people to share and donate photos, videos and audio files that document their daily lives during this emergency— all of which will be considered for preservation in the Archives of Michigan’s collections.
Michigan health insurance providers to waive COVID-19 patient costs
The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) announced that the state has received agreements from nearly all of the state’s health insurance companies to waive cost-sharing, including copays, deductibles, and coinsurance for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and treatments. The Whitmer Administration and DIFS had worked with insurers to waive these costs.
Consumers with these individual and group health plans will not be charged cost-sharing for coronavirus-related medical treatment, such as primary care visits, laboratory testing, emergency room visits, ambulance services, and FDA-approved medications and vaccines for COVID-19 when they become available.
The State of Michigan, like most governmental agencies, puts out press releases to media sources on a wide-range of issues almost daily. Some are important for the public to know; some are just routine governmental business. Some make the news and some do not.
We at WKTV have decided that in these times of COVID-19, of often-filtered news, we’d let the state departments say what they want to say to the pubic a little more directly. Following are links to State of Michigan releases from April 8 — with a little emphasis given by our staff on what we found interesting.
Michigan joins other state in urging feds to open ACA marketplace
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently joined 20 other attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve a special enrollment period on the official Affordable Care Act health care marketplace website during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
According to an April 8 statement from Nessel’s office, the attorneys general argue that the federal government is making a “shortsighted decision” to not provide the special enrollment period.
“At a time when so many Americans are facing uncertainty in every direction they turn, ensuring they have the opportunity to obtain health care coverage via a special enrollment period on healthcare.gov should be a major priority for the federal government,” Nessel said in supplied material. “Regardless of how this administration feels about the current structure of the Affordable Care Act, it is law and it provides health care services that millions of people need right now across this nation. The federal government should want to ensure all who live in this country have access to the care they need to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
Michigan unemployment office: If you can file online, please do so
With huge numbers of workers applying for unemployment benefits, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is adding staff and hours, and has nearly quadrupled staffing levels over the last several weeks. But like staying at home flattens the peak curve for medical providers, applying online takes strain off the unemployment system, according to an April 8 UIA statement.
“The UIA continues to provide emergency financial assistance during this unprecedented increase in unemployment claims,” Jeff Donofrio, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, said in supplied material. “We continue to ramp up our services to make sure every eligible Michigander receives their benefits as quickly as possible and we’re asking workers to please reserve the phone lines for those who cannot go online or are having trouble with their account.”
The best way to file a claim, according to the UIA statement, is online at Michigan.gov/UIA, where the process takes on average 20-25 minutes.
Michigan voters are starting a busy election with the just-completed presidential primary, so on the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus we offer a review of how the State of Michigan in general — and Kent County in specific — handle elections so that they provide voter accessibility, ballot security and accurate results.
With us is Lisa Posthumus Lyons, Kent County Clerk and Register of Deeds, who was elected to the position in 2016 after serving three terms as a Republican in the Michigan House of Representatives. Also with us is county elections director Gerrid Uzarski, who was appointed by Ms. Lyons in late 2017 and, previously worked for ElectionSource, a local company which, along with Dominion Voting Systems, is contracted by the state to provide election hardware and software.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s 2020 Great Decisions series of local discussions has already tackled issues such as the current political unrest in “The Philippines under Duterte”, the unfolding idea of “Green Peacebuilding” and “Human Trafficking: Global and Local Perspectives”.
But over the next few weeks, the series will continue it global issue informational efforts with more “issues of national an international importance,” including the India and Pakistan powder keg, China’s power in the Americas, and the present and future of American immigration policy.
The discussions are held Monday evenings and Tuesday noontimes, and will continue through the week of March 30. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these presentations will be available live on YouTube, with the typical World Affairs Council ability to send in a question of the speaker-experts. Presentations will be archived as well. Go to World Affairs Council YouTube channel link at one of the two times listed above to participate: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz_-CQkZ3VwjGkysvMu-P3g.
Coming lecture dates, titles and speakers are:
March 16-17, “The Future is Now: Artificial Intelligence and National Security”, with Lindsey Sheppard, fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
March 23-24, “China’s Road into Latin America”, with Margaret Myers, director of Asia & Latin America at Inter-American Dialogue.
March 30-31, “Central American Immigration and U.S. Foreign Policy”, with Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer-winning journalist and author of “Enrique’s Journey”.
For more information on the Great Decisions 2020 series visit here.
The new State of Michigan Absentee Ballot return envelope. (WKTV)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
The March 10 Presidential Primary ballots, both the crowded Democratic version and the less crowded Republican version, are already in Wyoming and Kentwood voters hands if they applied for absentee ballots.
And it is not too late to apply for absentee ballots for the coming voting day, or for the entire and very busy 2020 voting calendar which includes the March 10 presidential primary election, a May 5 potential proposal or millage election, the Aug. 4 state and federal primary election and the Nov. 3 presidential, federal and state general election.
There will also be voting in the Wyoming Public Schools district for a millage renewal on the district’s March 10 ballot, and there will be voting for Kent County Sheriff and the 62 B District Court (Kentwood) judgeship, possibly in both primary and general elections.
For more information on the Wyoming Public Schools Operating Millage Restoration Proposal on the March 10 ballot, visit here.
But first, the presidential primary. And given the evolving list of political candidates in each party’s race, the ballot will show candidates who have already dropped out of the race.
“The list of candidates who will appear on the March 10 Presidential Primary is created, per statute, by the Secretary of State and the state chairpersons of the two political parties, based on whom they deem to be nationally-recognized candidates,” Robert J. Macomber, Kent County Chief Deputy Clerk and Register of Deeds, said to WKTV. “Because the candidate list was finalized in December in order to meet programming and printing deadlines, the ballots will include the names of several candidates whom have since ended their campaigns.”
While there are things for voters to watch out for on the presidential primary ballot, there are also things to know about the state’s new absentee ballot rules and envelopes.
Voters in both Wyoming and Kentwood can request absentee ballots, for specific voting dates or for the entire 2020 calendar, by contacting the city’s respective city clerk offices. For more information on Kentwood, visit here. For more information on Wyoming, visit here.
“With the passage of Proposal 18-3, Michigan voters now have the right to vote absentee without providing a reason, and the right to request to be placed on what is known as the Permanent Absentee List, and maintained by most city and township clerks,” Macomber said. “When on the permanent list, the voter will automatically receive an Absentee Ballot Application in advance of each election. On that application, the voter will have the option to request to receive the ballot for one election, or each subsequent election in that year.”
Absentee, not early, voting with new envelopes
While it seem to be a nuance, absentee voting is not early voting — and that particularly matters for the coming presidential primary.
“You may hear the terms Absentee Voting and Early Voting used interchangeably, however Michigan is has absentee voting, not early voting,” Macomber said. “In early voting states, ballots are immediately tabulated upon return to the clerk. In an election like a Presidential Primary, that distinction matters.
“In Michigan, whether they voted for a candidate who may have exited the race, or simply changed their mind prior to any election, voters who return an absentee ballot have the right to spoil their ballot and cast a new ballot at any time prior to 4 p.m. the day before the election. For the Presidential Primary, that would be 4 p.m. on March 9. Ballots cast for candidates that have dropped out will still appear in Election Night results, and how those votes are later allocated into delegates are determined by the political parties rules.”
There are also newly designed envelopes for absentee ballots, and some details on how they should properly be returned.
The new State of Michigan Absentee Ballot envelope sent to voters who request them. (WKTV)
“The Secretary of State has adopted a new design for absentee envelopes, and voters should pay close attention to their mail in light of that change,” Macomber said. “Previously, absentee ballots came in a dark yellow/golden envelope. The ballots are now mailed in a mostly white envelope with a blue strip on the left side, with ‘Official Absent Voter Ballot.’
“Normal postage requirements, or the timeframe to return the ballots has not changed — ballots need to be received by the voters city or township clerk’s office (not the polling location), whether mailed or hand delivered, by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.”
For more Kent County election information visit here. For more State of Michigan election information, visit here.
Marisa O. Ensor, center, has worked in in countries around the world and will talk on “Green Peacebuilding: Justice in the face of Climate Change”. (Courtesy)
WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s 2020 Great Decisions series of local discussions will again tackle this year’s “issues of national an international importance” — the India and Pakistan powder keg, China’s power in the Americas, the present and future of American immigration policy, and the human impact of climate change, to name just a few.
The line-up of discussions, to be held Monday evenings at Aquinas College and Tuesday noontimes at Calvin University, will begin Feb. 10-11 with a discussion titled “Kashmir: Flashpoint between India and Pakistan” and will continue through the week of March 30.
All discussions are open to the public, with a $10 admission fee for non-Council members and collegiate partners, but free parking on each campus. No reservations are needed, and discounted series passes are available.
With the 2020 Great Decisions series, the World Affairs Council “continues its mission to empower the people and organizations of West Michigan to engage thoughtfully with the world,” according to supplied material. “Our largest community event, which we have been hosting since the mid-1950s. Diplomats, policy makers and practitioners, think tank specialists and journalists lead the conversation on some of the most pressing global issues of our time.”
The Monday lectures will run from 6 to 7:15 p.m., at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center. The Tuesday lectures will run from Noon to 1 p.m., at the Recital Hall in the Covenant Fine Arts Center at Calvin University.
Raza Ahmad Rumi (Supplied)
The opening lecture, “Kashmir: Flashpoint between India and Pakistan” will be led by Raza Ahmad Rumi, Director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca (N.Y.) College. Rumi has been living in the United States since 2014, and is editor of Daily Times and founder of the Nayadaur Media digital platform. He is also a visiting faculty at Cornell Institute for Public Affairs.
Drawing on his deep background as a journalist and policy analyst, Rumi will “contextualize the factors that play into India and Pakistan’s actions and the U.S. response to these countries,” according to supplied material. Asking and discussing the questions “How do we de-escalate conflict between these two nuclear powers? India and Pakistan have a long history of conflict. How has escalation within the Kashmir region changed the stakes for the U.S. and the world?”
The other lecture dates, titles and speakers are:
February 17-18, “Mirror to the World: The Philippines under Duterte”, with Julie McCarthy, international correspondent with Manila Bureau of NPR.
February 24-25, “Regional Security in the Red Sea”, with Steve Dalzell, senior defense policy researcher at RAND Corporation.
March 2-3, “Green Peacebuilding: Justice in the face of Climate Change”, with Marisa O. Ensor, Justice and Peace Studies Program & Institute for the Study of International Migration, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
March 9-10, “Human Trafficking: Global and Local Perspectives”, a panel discussion moderated by Rachel VerWys, co-creator of Solutions to End Exploitation (SEE).
March 16-17, “The Future is Now: Artificial Intelligence and National Security”, with Lindsey Sheppard, fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
March 23-24, “China’s Road into Latin America”, with Margaret Myers, director of Asia & Latin America at Inter-American Dialogue.
March 30-31, “Central American Immigration and U.S. Foreign Policy”, with Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer-winning journalist and author of “Enrique’s Journey”.
Of particular interest, for many, will be Ensor’s discussion on world justice in time of climate change. She describes herself, on her website, as “a gender and youth specialist with a background in forced displacement, environmental peacebuilding, humanitarian intervention, and post-conflict justice.”
Marisa O. Ensor (Courtesy)
She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Florida, a Master’s in Law in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex (UK), and a certificate in Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford (UK). She has over a decade of international experience in “the design and implementation of gender- and youth-inclusive projects in conflict-affected and fragile states, and those confronting forced migration and environmental insecurity” in 19 countries so far in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Europe.
In her discussion, Ensor “maps the relationship between climate change, conflict and fragile states and the lessons we can learn from those fighting for human rights and peace within their communities,” according to supplied material. Specifically she will discuss “What can young activists teach us about peace and climate change? … Climate change has become one of the defining issues of our time.”
For more information on the Great Decisions 2020 series visit here.
Mitten Brewing Co. north, in Northport in the Traverse Bay area, will be a great place to stop by — summer or winter. (Supplied)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
It is unclear which Grand Rapids area craft brew U.S. Sen. Gary Peters likes to order when he makes a stop in the area, but he probably has one on the house coming from Mitten Brewing Company.
Thanks to some federal-level advocacy from Sen. Peters’ office, Mitten Brewing Co. has a new Traverse Bay area craft brewing brewery and pub after Chris Andrus, co-owner and co-founder of the Mitten Brewing Co., was able to expedite a license from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, shown with Sen. Joni Ernst at Washington, D.C.’s annual Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run in 2018 (Supplied)
The story, as given by Sen. Peters’ office recently, is that Mitten Brewing Co. discovered that a brewery in Northport, Mich., was going out of business and “They saw this as an opportunity to expand their brewery as well as protect the jobs of those employees. In order to do so, Mitten Brewing Co. needed to obtain their licensing quickly from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to open in time for the (past) summer season.”
Andrus reached out to Sen. Peters’ office for help, we are told, and “The office helped cut red tape for Mitten Brewing Co. by contacting the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regarding the brewery’s licensing application. Chris soon thereafter received approval for the necessary license. The Northport location was able to open in time and is now a thriving part of the Northern Michigan community.”
Don’t know about you, but I love Mitten Brewing’ local locales and brews. Maybe I’ll buy the senator one next time we belly-up to the bar together.
Mitten Brewing’s Andrus shared his story in a video released by Sen. Peters’ office, and can be seen here.
Sen. Peters office states that Michiganders in need of assistance with a federal agency to contact his Detroit office at (844) 506-7420 (toll-free) or can visit his website at peters.senate.gov.
Grand Rapids, regional distillery choices growing all the time
It is no secret that Michigan is a booming market for craft distilled liqueurs, but the quality of Grand Rapids area, or nearby, sources might surprise you as much as they continue to surprise me.
In Grand Rapids, there is Long Road Distillers, with cocktails, small-bites, and bottles to-go are available — you can also take a tour for a behind-the-scenes look at the distilling process and get to know what is in your glass from a distilling expert.
Eastern Kille (once known a Grey Skies, FYI) has a downtown tasting room to sample their whiskey, gin, or coffee liqueur. A seasonally revolving menu of cocktails are available to highlight the spirits made onsite.
Nearby, in the great day-trip location of Saugatuck, the New Holland Spirits offer tasting flights and cocktails made with award-winning spirits, along with light snacks and a retail area with bottles to go. Holland, too makes a good stop as Coppercraft Distillery not only has small batch cocktails but an extensive dining menu.
And in the summer, when you are really in the mood for a road trip to the Traverse Bay area, we are told “Michigan’s oldest award-winning ‘Grain to Bottle’ Craft Distillery” is Grand Traverse Distillery. Grand Traverse Distillery distills all of their vodkas, whiskies, gin, and rum in a 1,100 liter Holstein twin column copper reflux pot still.
And I can personally vouch for the idea of getting a “Latitude Adjustment” at Northern Latitudes Distillery in Lake Leelanau, where their gin is to die for and their limoncello — aptly named Limoncello di Leelanau — is worth living for. The tasting room is open seven days a week, and tastings are free and you can buy your favorite selection by the bottle and/or have it mixed into an incredible cocktail.
OK, sharing a bottle of Northern Latitudes is a good reason to spend the night or weekend out of town.
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s annual luncheon at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel Tuesday, Jan. 14. (Supplied/World Affairs Council)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Birgit Klohs, president and CEO of The Right Place, Inc., was at the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan annual luncheon to be honored with the group’s locally-focused inaugural Hillman-Orr Award, at the same event when the inaugural Vandenberg Prize for work on the world stage was presented.
The Vandenberg Prize was given to retired Ambassador Jon M. Huntsman at the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s annual luncheon at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel Tuesday, Jan. 14. (Supplied/World Affairs Council)
The Vandenberg Prize went to retired Ambassador Jon M. Huntsman, who was honored in person at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, where a large crowd was in attendance Tuesday, Jan. 14.
But Klohs, who was raised in post-war Germany, spoke poignantly in her acceptance speech about Michigan Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (1881-1951), who forged bipartisan support for the Marshall Plan and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and was appointed one of the first U.S. delegates to the then new United Nations.
“I grew up in the safety of NATO. I grew up with … (a German economy) predicated on the Marshall Plan,” Klohs said as she accepted her award but also honored the Vandenberg legacy. “So for that, every time I walk by the (senator’s) statue (near Rosa Parks Circle), I salute a little ‘Thank you’.” But Klohs’ path of learning about the man who was a key figure in the Marshall Plan and NATO was not simple.
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s Hillman-Orr Award was presented to Birgit Klohs, president and CEO of The Right Place, Inc., by Renee Tappen, market president for Bank of America. (Supplied/World Affairs Council)
Hank Meijer “wrote the definitive book on a senator I’d never heard of when I moved here,” Klohs said. “When I first met Hank, many years ago, he said to me ‘Birgit, there needs to be a Vandenberg Square in Germany.’ And I’m like ‘Who is Vandenberg?’ Another Dutch guy? And he’s like ‘No. Let me tell you about Senator Vandenberg.’
“And I was stunned. Growing up in Germany, in a divided Germany, we always lived in the shadow of the Soviet Union. Right? We all learned about the Marshall fund, and how it helped West Germany and the rest of Europe get back on its feet. Learned about NATO. But I’d never heard of the senator who was really the person behind the scenes the made the Marshall fund happen, who made NATO happen, who made the UN happen.
“And who brought along senators who were isolationists. (Other senators) who said ‘It is 1945, we won the war. We all go home and be done with it and leave those Europeans to themselves.’ But he (Vandenberg) had learned that after World War I, that didn’t work. He, who was an isolationist himself, became a globalist. And, frankly, we could use more globalists today.”
Vandenberg was also the inspiration for founding the local World Affairs Council in 1949 by Grand Rapids attorney (and later Federal Judge) Douglas Hillman and businessman Edgar Orr, for whom the Hillman-Orr Award was named, according to the council.
The Hillman-Orr Award was presented to Klohs by Renee Tappen, market president for Bank of America.
“There is likely nobody in this room who has not heard from Birgit Klohs on the importance of global economic ties between West Michigan and world partners,” Tappen said. “Under her leadership, as the CEO of 32 years, The Right Place has created 47,000 new jobs and spurred nearly 5 billion dollars in new investment in our local the economy.
“Birgit is a leading economic development strategist, collaborates with our local, our national and our state government on critical issues related to economic development.”
Klohs, however, pointed out that much of her work is encouraging local leaders to embrace internationalism, in business and in all things.
“I also wanted to spread the word in our region, that embracing international, that embracing people from other parts of the world, will enrich us. It does not make us poorer, it makes us richer,” she said. “And that, in fact, your competition today is no longer in Iowa or Indiana. But it is in Mexico. And it is in India. And it is in China.
“The more we embrace that competition, we will be stronger as a region for it. And so, the World Affairs Council has really modeled this thinking for the last 70 years. … It has always been the strength of this community to gather and embrace new thoughts.”
At the Jan. 13 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Wyoming City Hall were chamber member and moderator Kathy Bates, chamber president Bob O’Callaghan, Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley and Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll. (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Local governmental leaders — from the mayors of Wyoming and Kentwood, to a county commissioner and state legislators, to representatives of federal officials — looked ahead to 2020 as part of a wide-ranging inter-governmental leaders meeting Monday, Jan. 13. at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Wyoming City Hall.
The meeting, as always, was hosted by chamber member and moderator Kathy Batey and chamber president Bob O’Callaghan. The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
At the January meeting, Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley and Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll represented their cities. Kent County Commissioner Monica Sparks was also present. State leaders included Sen. Peter MacGregor and Reps. Tommy Brann and Steven Johnson.
On the federal level, the panel included Brian Patrick, communications director for federal Rep. Bill Huizenga (Michigan Congressional District 2), and Peter Dickow, West Michigan Regional Director for U.S. Sen. Gary Peters.
The next meeting will be Feb. 10, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., at Wyoming City Hall.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org.
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the latest meeting on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., as well as on select Saturdays, on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26. For a highlight schedule of WKTV cable programs visit wktvjournal.org.
WKTV Journal In Focus’s audio only podcast of a Community Conversation on Homelessness featured Kentwood City Commissioner and community advocate Emily Bridson moderating along with Marshall Kilgore and, from left, panelists Hillary Scholten and Bo Torres. (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal’s In Focus series of podcasts, we bring you City of Kentwood Commissioner Emily Bridson’s Community Conversation on Immigration, held Thursday, Jan. 9, at Broad Leaf Local Beer in Kentwood.
The event was moderated by Bridson and Marshall Kilgore, Western Michigan Director for United Precinct Delegates, and included panelists Hillary Scholten, candidate for the U.S. 3rd Congressional District, and Bo Torres, a Hispanic community leader.
WKTV Journal In Focus’s audio only podcast of a Community Conversation on Immigration set-up by Kentwood City Commissioner and community advocate Emily Bridson drew a crowd Jan. 9. (WKTV)
The conversation drew about 100 people, with standing room only, and included discussion on current immigration policies as well as the contributions made to the United States from immigrants — both documented and undocumented. It also included discussion on proposed Michigan governmental action to change the state’s driver’s license laws.
Regular episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times).Individual interviews area also available on WKTV’s YouTube Channel at WKTVvideos.
A scene from Emily Bridson’s Community Conversation on Homelessness (and WKTV podcast) at Broad Leaf Local Beer in Kentwood in late 2019. (Supplied)
WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
A part of her continuing community conversations, City of Kentwood Commissioner Emily Bridson will co-host a Community Conversation on Immigration, focused on America’s immigration policies, on Thursday, Jan. 9, from 5:30-7 p.m., at Broad Leaf Local Beer.
“The New Year promises to be a polarizing time in our country’s history and we need to find a way to work together,” Bridson said about the planned event. “Let’s gather for a candid community dialogue on immigration. We will discuss licenses for all, detainment, and health care, to name a few.”
The panel will include Hillary Scholten, Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, and Bo Torres, local Hispanic community leader.
The event will be moderated by Bridson and Marshall Kilgore, Western Michigan Director for United Precinct Delegates.
“As I research and learn more about immigration issues, I was fortunate to be invited to attend a large meeting last month where local organizations that serve immigrants gathered to create a plan to ensure that President Trump’s Executive Order 13888 (EO), which focuses on refugee resettlement in our communities, would be addressed by his established deadlines,” Bridson said.
On Dec. 17, 2019, the Kentwood City Commission voted to allow further resettlement in our city.
“It was a night of heartfelt personal stories where community members shared their memories of making Kentwood their home,” Bridson said. “We know Kentwood is a special place and it is because we embrace cultures and people from around the world in all of our neighborhoods.”
Bridson pointed out that in a recent study, the economic impact of foreign-born residents of Kent County contributed nearly $3.3 billion to the county’s GDP.
“The numbers speak for themselves on the continued positive impact immigrants have in our community,” she said.
“Our first community conversation was focused on discussing solutions to address homelessness,” Bridson said. Kilgore and Bridson “had over 50 interested community members join us. Bringing our community together to find solutions to pressing issues has been the driving force behind our efforts.”
