By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org
The Kent County Board of Commissioners were sworn and had its organization meeting this morning with two Wyoming and Kentwood county representatives elected to leadership positions.
Due to redistricting, the board was enlarged from 19 to 21. This included the new District 20, which covers the northern portion of the City of Wyoming, mostly the Godfrey-Lee School district, and a southern portion of the City of Grand Rapids. The district has a large Hispanic population and was created to help provide a voice to that community. Ivan Diaz was elected to serve that district. Diaz was selected to serve on two county committees, the Community Corrections Advisory Board and the Kent County Community Action Governing Board.
The other new district, District 21, is comprised of Cascade, Caledonia, and Bowne townships. Walter Bujak was elected to serve that district.
District 10 County Commissioner Emily Brieve, whose area, due to redistricting, now includes a southern portion of the City of Kentwood, was elected as vice-chair of the board for a second term and will serve as chair of the Finance and Physical Resources Committee. Brieve has been on the board since 2015 and works for family’s business, FastoolNow.com. District 6 Commissioner Stan Stek, whose district is mostly the City of Walker, was elected as chair for a second term. Stek has been on the board since 2014 and is an attorney at Miller Canfield. Serving as vice-chair of the Finance and Physical Resources Committee is District 18 Commissioner Stephen Wooden, whose was elected minority vice-chair for the board.
District 8 Commissioner Dan Burrill, who served as a City of Wyoming Council Member and whose area is a large portion of the City of Wyoming, was selected to be serve as the chair of the Legislative and Human Resources Committee. Burrill has been on the board since 2021 and is an associate broker at Five Star Real Estate, small business owner, and a licensed builder. Burrill also was selected to serve on the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority Board.
Other appointments for commissioners were:
District 7 Commissioner Stan Ponstein, whose district is mostly the City of Grandville with a portion of the City of Wyoming, was selected to serve on the Lakeshore Regional Entity Substance Abuse Oversight Policy Board.
District 9 Commissioner Matt Kallman, whose district is Byron Center and a southern portion of the City of Wyoming, was selected to serve on the Senior Millage Review Committee and as the chair of ACSET Governing Board.
District 12 Commissioner Monica Sparks, whose district covers a portion of the City of Kentwood and a portion of the City of Wyoming, was selected to serve on the Area Agency on Aging Western Michigan Advisory Council and the Ready at Five Proposal Review Committee.
District 13 Commissioner Michelle McCloud, whose district is mostly the City of Kenwood, was selected to serve on the Public Works Board and the Senior Millage Review Committee.
For a complete list of appointments, click here.
The County Board of Commissioners meetings are usually the second and fourth Thursday of each month at the County Administration Building, Third Floor, 300 Monore Ave. NW. For more about the board, visit accesskent.org.
