Non-OI Republicans announce candidacies for Ottawa County Board
OTTAWA COUNTY — The weather might be frigid, but the race to sit on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners is heating up.
Jim Barry announced Thursday, Jan. 18, he'll run as a Republican in District 1, which includes Port Sheldon Township, Olive Township and most of Park Township.
The district is currently represented by Republican incumbent Gretchen Cosby, a first-term commissioner and member of far-right fundamentalist group Ottawa Impact.
The group, which formed in 2021 over frustrations with county and state COVID-19 mitigation measures, currently has a seven-seat controlling majority on the 11-member board and made a series of controversial decisions in 2023 that led to four ongoing lawsuits and a brief investigation from the state attorney general's office.
Barry, the half-brother of longtime U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, also serves as Huizenga’s campaign manager.
In December, he interviewed for the county treasurer position after Amanda Price announced her retirement, but deputy clerk Cheryl Clark was appointed to the post.
Barry told the panel of officials interviewing applicants he's concerned over the past year's county-level politics.
"It’s fair to say there’s some broad concern of some governance of the county," Barry said. "I think there’s some fallout that needs to be worked through with the health department, obviously, and some budgetary issues and some expenditures that are happening."
He said "traditional Republicans" have been marginalized within the county GOP, adding he's "among the Republicans ... dismissed when the new regime came through." Barry is part of an ancillary group, Conservative Ottawa, that he says has given displaced conservatives "a political home."
"There were a lot of traditional Republicans and grassroots volunteers involved with the party for a long time" who were "sort of excused" once Ottawa Impact and its supporters took control of the party, Barry told The Sentinel on Thursday.
"And people still care about these issues, about conservative issues, and they want good government," Barry said. "I don't consider what Ottawa Impact does as traditional Republican values or our way of doing things."
Barry said he'd like to see a return to the historical Republican platform.
"When I think Republican, I think fiscal conservative, I think law and order," Barry said. "You want lower taxes, but you want good services for the tax dollars you do pay, and I think there's an expectation for some competent, steady leadership."
Barry is a licensed associate real estate broker and serves as treasurer of the Huizenga-owned Cottages at Riverbend in Zeeland.
Cosby hasn't indicated if she plans to seek a second term, but stakes for county elections are higher than ever across Michigan, after a change in state law lengthens terms from two years to four.
District 10
District 10 will also see a new face. Republican Josh Brugger has filed to run for longtime Commissioner Roger Bergman's seat, which he'll vacate at the end of the year.
Brugger is familiar with local politics. He ran for Grand Haven mayor in 2019.
"I'm very grateful to Roger Bergman for his service to District 10 and for his support and encouragement to run," Brugger said. "I look forward to representing all residents of Northwest Ottawa County with the same transparent, collaborative, and common sense approach to governance that he has exemplified in over two decades of service to our community."
Democrat Doug Zylstra in District 3 and Republican Kendra Wenzel in District 6 have filed to run again in their respective districts. Wenzel, an OI supporter, was appointed to her seat on Dec. 12 after Kyle Terpstra resigned in November.
— Sarah Leach is executive editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Non-OI Republicans announce candidacies for Ottawa County Board
