By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Recently WKTV’s Donna Kidner Smith sat down with Kent County Commissioners Betsy Melton and Monica Sparks to talk about the challenges women face when running for public office.

Of the 19-member Kent County Board of Commissioners, six positions are held by women. The commission oversees services for about 660,000 people living in the county with a budget of around $444 million dollars.

Both the seats that Melton and Sparks currently have previously were held by men both of whom had served on the Board of Commissioners for a number of years. Harold Mast served in District 12 until 2018 when Sparks was elected to the seat. District 12 covers the western portion of the City of Kentwood and the eastern portion of the City of Wyoming. Dick VanderMolen served District 13 up until 2016 when Melton was elected to the seat. The 13th District covers the eastern portion of the City of Kentwood. 

“I don’t think people really looked at it was a man and now it is a women,” Melton said. “I think it was who has more experience in Kentwood and, actually my opponent was a woman equally as qualified. It is how you bring your passion for where you are representing to the city is what I think people look at.”

Sparks said before running for any seat know the issues that impact that specific board or governmental unit. 

“In this political climate, we want to fight for this or that and many of those things don’t affect us [on the Board of Commissioners),” Sparks said, adding that the main focus for the Kent County Board of Commissioners is to make sure it provides continued services for the county’s residents.

“So run on the platform of your passion but it has to meet with the job so you are not out here speaking about things that don’t really have anything to do with the position,” Sparks said. 

Both Melton and Sparks will be up for re-election in 2020.