OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Two controversial resolutions brought almost 50 community members out to speak during public comment at the Ottawa County Commission meeting Tuesday night.
They involve taking power away from one Republican board member and preventing county employees from supporting anything that encourages the sexualization of children.
Both resolutions passed.
As a result, Republican Jacob Bonnema was removed as the Vice Chairman of the finance and administration committee for the rest of the year.
The public reprimand comes after a March meeting confrontation between county administrator John Gibbs and Commissioner Bonnema. Bonnema filed an HR report against Gibbs, citing harassment and threats made.
The department then concluded that those claims were unfounded.
This comes a week after the Ottawa County Republican Party censured Bonnema for behavior "unbecoming of a public servant" and for "violating Republican values."
The other resolution that passed, titled "Protecting Childhood Innocence", will now forbid county resources and staff from participating in events, content or institutions which "support, normalize or encourage the sexualization of children and youth".
This comes after the county health department set up a booth during Grand Haven's first Pride festival and the Holland Pride Festival, where they distributed monkeypox vaccines and information about STIs. The move concerned some county commissioners during their June 13 meeting, saying that the health department's presence could be seen as an endorsement for what they called "risky behavior."
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