West Michigan attorney Nathan Bocks defeated two-term incumbent Nancy DeBoer in a tight race for mayor of Holland on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
DeBoer called Bocks to concede the race just before 9 p.m. Bocks beat DeBoer with 53% of the vote.
He will be sworn into office on Monday, Nov. 11.
Bocks helped with the restoration and remodeling of the Civic Center, and he said wants the next project to be Holland’s waterfront from Kollen Park to Windmill Island.
DeBoer joined Bocks at his victory party, and he said he plans to remain friends with her.
"A year ago, we sat down and I said that we're friends and I wanted to stay friends through this and I want to be friends after this," Bocks said to DeBoer. "You have been a good and faithful servant to the people of Holland. You are an incredible asset to this community. I want you to continue to serve the people of Holland. I want you to be a part of everything moving forward."
DeBoer simply responded that she now needs "a break."
Bocks on his first 100 days:
Bocks ran a three-pronged platform focused on improved affordable housing options, a reinvented waterfront and establishing a more welcoming Holland community.
The mayor-elect has been attending city council meetings often for the last year. Bocks said he wanted to know the pressing issues facing the city.
"I know what's on the agenda moving forward," Bocks said. "Now it's just a matter of getting in and getting my legs underneath me and understanding how all the individual processes work in city hall."
Larger plans to renovate the waterfront and establish protections for the LGBTQ community will require working with the every member of city council, he said.
"I am one vote on council," Bocks said. "There needs to be a majority of the council that's interested in moving that forward. [The next few months] is when we're going to be able to talk about the possibility of doing that and what the best way to do that is."
Bocks, seen as a more progressive candidate than DeBoer, said the voters placed a lot of trust in him.
"I'm going to make sure I honor that faith and trust and continue to be the best public servant that I can be for everyone who lives in Holland," he said.
Other election results around West Michigan:
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