Ottawa Impact burst onto the scene two years ago. A look at the mark it made.

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI — Ottawa Impact, the highly conservative political group that took control of Ottawa County government less than two years ago, may be nearing the end of its reign.

But in that short time, the political platform and tumult that came with it made an indelible mark on Ottawa County government.

In the Tuesday, Aug. 6, primary, only four members of Ottawa Impact’s slate of candidates won against Republican challengers. They were current Ottawa County Board Chair Joe Moss in District 5, Board Vice Chair Sylvia Rhodea in District 8, Commissioner Allison Miedema in District 11 and Commissioner Kendra Wenzel in District 6.

Related: 5 key takeaways from the Ottawa County Aug. 6 primary elections

They now move on to the November election to face Democratic challengers, although Ottawa County has always been a Republican stronghold. Still, two Democrats now sit on the 11 member county board and the party is looking to make inroads.

Tuesday’s decision by voters means Ottawa Impact no longer will have a majority on the county board in January 2024.

The history of Ottawa Impact is rooted, to some degree, in Moss’ belief that state and county government overstepped its bounds during the COVID pandemic, particularly with masking rules.

Moss and seven other people campaigned in 2022 on broad issues such as “pro America,” “pro parental rights,” and “pro Constitution.”

They swept through the August 2022 primary.

Then the controversy began.

Related: Lawsuits, ‘childhood innocence,’ $4M settlement talks: How the far-right board shook up Ottawa County

On the same day they were sworn into office, the new commissioners made sweeping changes. They included firing then Administrator John Shay and replacing him with former congressional candidate John Gibbs, dissolving the county’s diversity office, hiring a new “constitutional” law firm, trying to fire Health Officer Adeline Hambley and changing the county motto from “Where You Belong” is “Where Freedom Rings.”

It was only the beginning to the governmental turbulence.

Residents packed county meetings to both praise and criticize board members during public comment periods. Meetings often lasted hours, sometimes as long as six hours.

Hambley filed a lawsuit, leading to a drawn-out legal battle that hit a crescendo in late 2023 when commissioners reportedly offered her $4 million to leave. A judge later ruled that, while the board had reached a general agreement on a settlement, the deal could not be enforced because a Nov. 6 motion by Moss was “too ambiguous” to ratify the Board’s agreement.

It wasn’t the only lawsuit the board would face.

A Grand Haven pastor filed a lawsuit, claiming religious discrimination because he believed Moss was preventing him from giving the board invocation. The pastor supports LGBTQ rights.

And a 49-year-old candidate for a job as senior executive aide to the county administrator filed an age discrimination lawsuit because the county hired a 23-year-old with fewer qualifications.

Then earlier this year, after the Feb. 29 firing of Gibbs over misconduct, Gibbs filed a lawsuit for breach of contract and defamation.

Related: Fired Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs sues county board, alleging retaliation and defamation

While county employment issues caused controversy, topics raised by the board also stirred up debate.

Moss in early 2023 took aim at the Ottawa County Health Department for its association with a sex education week event at GVSU which featured discussions about sex toys as well as about sexual health and relationships.

Then in May, commissioners voted to become a “constitutional county,” a largely symbolic gesture.

A month later, they passed a resolution to “protect childhood innocence.” And in April of this year, they passed a resolution to “promote life” that talked about the harm to women from abortion.

Along the way, a recall petition was filed against former District 2 Commissioner Lucy Ebel and she was recalled in a May, 2024 election.

Commissioner Jacob Bonnema and Rebekah Curran both broke from the Ottawa Impact platform in the first part of 2023. Bonnema made a harassment claim against Gibbs in March 2023 after a dust-up between the two.

Commissioners in March picked Jon Anderson as interim administrator in another controversial move. Some commissioners complained that Anderson, who unsuccessfully ran for Ottawa County sheriff in the August primary, was not properly vetted for the job.

It’s not clear if commissioners will fill the vacant administrator’s post before the end of 2024.

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