Ottawa County board approves new HR director despite DEI clash, vows policy overhaul

OTTAWA COUNTY — Deep divisions over cultural governance, public spending, and administrative hiring practices dominated a marathon meeting of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, culminating in a highly contentious vote to confirm a new human resources director and renewed calls for tighter board oversight.

The Sept. 22 session, which spanned three hours and 17 minutes, exposed ongoing friction between elected board members, administrative staff, and the public.

Across a wide-ranging agenda — which touched on everything from solid waste management agreements to voter education mailers — commissioners repeatedly clashed over where the line should be drawn between routine government operations and politically sensitive policy directives.

Commissioners Jacob Bonnema, Phil Kuyers and Kendra Wenzel were absent.

Debate over event sponsorships, taxpayer funds

The mood in the board chambers shifted sharply during the review of accounts payable claims totaling $28.7 million.

Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea requested that a minor $157 line item designated for the public health department's table vendor fee for Grand Haven Pride this year be pulled from the consent agenda for a separate roll-call vote, leveraging the small expenditure to highlight what she described as a major policy loophole in county operations.

Rhodea argued that the county lacks clear guidelines governing public health department participation in community events that carry ideological or political overtones. She emphasized that while public services must be delivered universally, public funding or official county branding should not be used to endorse non-governmental activist organizations.

"My concern then was not that our health department should refuse to serve people with whom we may disagree; public health serves everyone. But serving people is not the same thing as paying an outside organization to participate in its activist event," Rhodea said.

She pointed out that commissioners had raised identical concerns regarding health department outreach at Pride events as far back as 2022, yet no formal board policy had ever been codified to regulate sponsorships or event participation.

Rhodea, a member of far-right political group Ottawa Impact, was vice chair of the board in 2023 when the board's Ottawa Impact controlling majority attempted to demote, then fire Administrative Health Officer Adeline Hambley in favor of a candidate who had no prior experience in public health.

Hambley sued the board and the county in February 2023, claiming the board overstepped its legal authority and that health officers had certain inalienable rights afforded under state law.

In February 2024, the commissioners voted unanimously (11-0) to keep Hambley and Deputy Health Officer Marcia Mansaray in place as part of a settlement agreement to end Hambley's long-standing lawsuit against the board; Mansaray has since retired.

In August 2024, the county was ordered to pay $188,000 to cover Hambley's legal fees tied to the yearlong litigation.

Read More: Ottawa County Board votes unanimously to retain Hambley as health officer

Read More: Judge orders Ottawa County to pay $188K for health officer's legal fees after yearlong lawsuit

What followed was two years of unprecedented strain between the board and the county’s health department.

Throughout summer 2023, the board, then-administrator John Gibbs and Hambley battled over a proposed budget for the department. In the end, the OI majority voted to cut millions.

Drawing a parallel to the county’s contracting authorization policy — which requires board review for sensitive agreements — Rhodea last week called for immediate policy reform.

"Four years after commissioners first raised the sponsorship question, they're still wrestling with essentially the same issue. That tells me this is no longer about one event or one expenditure. We have a policy gap that was identified in 2022 and never fully resolved."

The separate $157 payment to Grand Haven Pride ultimately passed in a 5-3 vote, with Commissioners Joe Moss, Allison Miedema and Rhodea — all OI members — voting in opposition.

The remaining $28.7 million in general claims passed unanimously. Following the vote, commissioners agreed to schedule formal work sessions to draft a comprehensive corporate sponsorship and public outreach policy.

Contentious HR director appointment takes center stage

The most protracted debate of the meeting centered on County Administrator Patrick Waterman’s formal recommendation to appoint interim HR Director Sarah Allen as the new permanent human resources director.

Commissioners Moss and Rhodea voiced staunch opposition to Allen’s appointment, pointing to her past employment history and public advocacy of what they called "DEI activism."

Allen previously served as program director for the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance for nearly eight years (2008-2016) before working as an HR manager for Ottawa County, during which she was involved in employee training and diversity, equity, and inclusion programming.

Moss specifically cited Allen's public endorsement of a DEI activism pledge while using her official county title during her prior tenure with the county.

"The candidate that was selected is noted on a local DEI activist group website. Her name is signed publicly on a pledge to be a DEI activist using her government role and her county job title," Moss said.

Moss argued that Allen's background indicated a commitment to an ideological agenda that directly conflicts with the strategic direction established by the current board majority, which has systematically dismantled county-level DEI frameworks.

The opposition from Moss and Rhodea carries significant political context rooted in their leadership of Ottawa Impact, a far-right political organization founded by the duo in 2021 following disputes over COVID-19 public health mandates.

After OI-backed candidates gained a controlling majority on the board of commissioners in the November 2022 elections, the new board made national headlines on its very first day in office — Jan. 3, 2023 — by taking immediate action to dismantle the county's administrative structures, including the dissolution of the county's DEI Office, changing the county's motto from "Where You Belong" to "Where Freedom Rings" and routinely scrutinizing county contracts, internal staff training, and vendor relationships to ensure no public funds or county personnel were engaged in DEI-related work.

Beyond ideological objections, several commissioners expressed deep frustration over procedural flaws in the hiring process.

Board members noted that administrative staff was informed of Allen’s selection — and news of the appointment was leaked on social media — before the board of commissioners had been formally notified or given the opportunity to evaluate the candidate.

Waterman defended the recruitment process and addressed concerns regarding political alignment.

He stressed that department heads operate under the strict direction of county administration and the policy mandates set by elected officials.

"We serve at the pleasure of this board. It's our job to enact the policies and directives of this board. No one in this organization is talking about DEI, no one is talking about reinstating DEI, and that will continue to be the case, as long as I am here and that's the directive I'm receiving from you," Waterman said.

Public comment reflected the room's division. Community members taking the microphone criticized the board for using personal ideological litmus tests in professional hiring decisions, while others scolded administration for bypassing proper communication channels and rushing high-level personnel choices.

The board confirmed Allen’s appointment as HR director in a 5-3 vote, with Moss, Rhodea and Miedema voting "no."

Addressing the board following the vote, Allen said she looked forward to working collaboratively with administration to execute the county's strategic plan and support its core mission of providing a "safe, healthy and thriving community."

Software overhauls, voter mailers, solid waste agreements

Despite the heated political exchanges, the board moved through a substantial list of administrative actions designed to update infrastructure, secure departmental funding and address inter-county logistics:

• Budget software upgrade: Commissioners approved a five-year contract with Workday totaling $179,635, alongside a $270,000 implementation contract with Porterhouse. Waterman explained that the software change was necessary due to severe performance defects and transparency limitations in the county's existing OpenGov system, which had been under contract since 2023.
• Parks millage mailer contract: A $86,472 contract for informational mailers regarding the upcoming November Parks millage ballot proposal was pulled for individual review. Moss objected to the expenditure, questioning whether taxpayer funds should be used for widespread mailers so close to an election. Parks Director Jason Shamblin defended the mailer as purely educational, noting it was essential to clarify the difference between an earlier August renewal and the November proposal. The contract passed 7-1, with Moss dissenting.
• Ottawa Conservation District: The board approved a three-year, $360,000 agreement ($120,000 annually) with the Ottawa Conservation District to support core voluntary conservation and agricultural education programs. Explicit language was added to the contract ensuring county funds cannot be utilized for political lobbying.
• Community Mental Health transition: Commissioners ratified a transition agreement and revolving promissory note effective Oct. 1, to support CMH operations. Legal counsel confirmed the agreement safeguards employee benefit structures — such as avoiding dual deductibles — while positioning the agency for long-term operational stability.
• Solid waste hauler fees: The board conditionally authorized Ottawa County landfills to collect a $1.68-per-ton Kent County hauler fee, strictly limited to waste originating within Kent County lines. The resolution was amended during discussion to ensure Ottawa County maintains full oversight and can adjust local policies if neighboring county fees impact the local solid waste ecosystem.

Looking ahead

In his closing report, Waterman notified commissioners of upcoming county business, including a planned board work session on Oct. 16 to discuss Ottawa County’s formal intervener role regarding the proposed RWE Silver Maple Solar Project before the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Waterman also noted that second-round interviews are underway for the vacant Legal Services director position, for which he requested clearer hiring guidelines from the board to avoid future procedural disputes — after the Allen discussion.

The meeting adjourned with commissioners agreeing to prioritize policy reviews on contracting, public sponsorships and administrative hiring protocols in the coming months.

The next full board of commissioners meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Fillmore Complex, 12220 Fillmore St., West Olive.

— Sarah Leach is the executive editor of the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at sleach@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Follow her on Twitter @ONNLeach.