Ottawa County Republicans' Newsletter
May 6, 2024 10:1
Editor's Preamble: Hello and thank you and welcome to the May edition of the Ottawa County Republicans' Newsletter. May is the Month we remember those who've served in our Armed Forces, as well as those who have passed who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.
*Normally, we would spend the majority of our May Newsletter focusing on Memorial Day themes. However, as much as it saddens us, we unfortunately have to use this period of time to bring about awareness of the paramount need right now in Ottawa to protect the interests of children and families. As we're sure you've heard, the Grand Haven Pride festival is coming back to Grand Haven in early June, about a month from now. Because what happened last year was devastating to the Grand Haven community and Ottawa County at large, we feel a responsibility to inform the Public of what took place and are asking our responsible citizenry to please spread awareness.
Also, we are gearing up for a BIG campaign season here! If you find it important to protect children and preserve family values in Ottawa County, we encourage you to begin to do a deep dive on the candidates running for this year's election primary on August 6th. Incidences, such as the sexual solicitation of children in our County will stop when the people who represent us make sure that it stops. *This is why you need Constitutional Conservatives in the offices for County Prosecutor, Sheriff, Treasurer and Commissioners.
Please consider a recurring donation of only $5 per month to help us run candidates for office with the highest constitutional ethics here in Ottawa County.
Thank you and enjoy!
--Newsletter Editorial Team
Sorbe Tulips by Sophie Roerick

OCRP NEWS
The OCRP Will Hold an Endorsement Convention on May 16...
The OCRP Passes Republican Accountability Resolution Solidifying its Position on What a Republican Is...
The OCRP Releases Logo Variation to Honor Ottawa's Farmers on Earth Day...
The OCRP Held a Spectacular Lincoln Day Dinner and Candidate Forum!
See it on Facebook Here
If you don't have Facebook, you can see a portion of this post right HERE
The OCRP Celebrates our Lincoln Day Dinner Sponsors and Contributors to Silent Auction!
See it on Facebook Here
If you don't have Facebook, you can see a special tribute to our sponsors and donors here:
The OCRP Holds Delegate Training Event with Enthusiastic Turnout...
Area News
Coverage, April 23 2024, Board of Commissioners Meeting...
Perhaps you've heard about the controversy in Ottawa, of a satanist coming to give the invocation during a meeting on April 23rd of the Board of Commissioners? It was utterly fascinating. When the word spread that this would be happening, thousands of people rose up to pray. Many hundreds attended the meeting itself as well. Commissioner Allison Miedema gives an excellent account of the events of the evening and draws attention to some special public comments that were shared. We encourage you to examine her entire piece. It's hard to describe the feeling of being there other than to say that the love and positivity shown by most Ottawa County citizens at this meeting was reflective of their faith and values. It was a life-giving experience to see a community of citizens respect the first amendment, and draw a line between their faith and that of satanism at the same time, while building a bridge of kindness to the human beings behind the label.
More Area News
Prayer in the Public Square--Free Speech is 1000 Miles Away From Agreement...
Many have asked how it came to be that a satanist would be allowed to come give the invocation at a meeting of the Board of Commissioners. Joe Moss, Chair of the Board of Commissioners, addresses this controversial issue. Click above to either hear the audio or read the piece in print.
Opinion
In some Michigan districts, the line between parents and school has blurred...
Truth Vs Insanity
Truth Vs Insanity is a Column we run from time to time when we see large disparities in Media coverage and/or in Marketing/Advertising between what is factual and what is blatantly misleading to the citizenry of Ottawa County. This month, the disparity is in the way the 2024 Grand Haven Pride Festival is choosing to market itself to the community's businesses in order to raise sponsorships.
The Grand Haven Pride Festival Committee
Vs
The Citizens of Ottawa County and Grand Haven
Next month, the City of Grand Haven will host their second annual, "Pride Festival." We've put the title in quote marks because we're not altogether sure of what the City Council is proud of exactly. One has to wonder after last year's stunning debacle of soliciting children in a public space in broad daylight, why they would enthusiastically promote this event again.
*Unfortunately, it has become necessary to educate the public on what the Truth Vs the Insanity is in the promotion of this event.
Rev. Jared Cramer of St. John's Episcopal Church in Grand Haven is enthusiastically promoting the pride festival again this year, publicly asking for donors. Here is the INSANE nature of what he's put on their promotional materials in order to raise sponsors for funding.
Do you find this photo upsetting or insane?? We do not, and that is because the above photo is benign. However, the TRUTH of what happened in the public square last summer on a Saturday afternoon, is in the photos below. What's insane about the above promo is that it's a lie.
WARNING: These are startling photos below if you haven't seen them. Yet, since this happened in public and the Pride Festival Committee as well as the Grand Haven City Council continues to support this endeavor, in addition to asking area businesses to "invest," we feel it is a responsibility to educate the public about what took place.
Before scrolling down, we want to be clear of our point: If Rev. Cramer and the Grand Haven City Pride Committee is so PROUD of this event, the most poignant question is this: WHY aren't they marketing it with the TRUE photos of what took place instead of the benign one??
⬇️
The soliciting of children for cash at a drag queen performance at Waterfront Stadium downtown Grand Haven on a Saturday afternoon.
What Can You Do About This?
Take a look at the businesses supporting these events and ask yourself if this is the type of business you want to spend your hard earned tax dollars supporting. *If you work for one of these organizations, perhaps you can share these photographs with them [in a kind, respectful way], along with the articles below in our Culture and Not-So-Old Columns to demonstrate how these events are hurting the children of our community. We suspect some of the contributors are unaware of how bad last year's event was and how many people were hurt by it and do not want events like these in our communities.
Another thing you can do is speak out against this behavior by publicly attending a Grand Haven City Council meeting and sharing your opinion during public comment. *Even if you're not from Grand Haven, it would help the City to know that Ottawa County at large is aware and does not support this behavior, especially around children.
TRUTH: Children were publicly solicited by sexually inappropriate behavior in Grand Haven at the 2023 Pride Festival. Area business have signed up to support this AGAIN.
TRUTH
INSANITY⬇️: Cramer and the Grand Haven Pride Committee marketing this Event to businesses as if the event were benign, while openly claiming bigotry of those who won't support it.
INSANITY
Culture
As promised above, our Culture and Not-So-Old columns are resources this month for anyone needing to inform the Pubic that these things happened last year at the Grand Haven Pride Festival. If a community wants change, creating awareness is important. *If it happened in Grand Haven, it can happen anywhere in Ottawa County. You can get ahead of this by sharing these resources. This one is a social media piece Restoring Ottawa put together from the 2023 Pride Event with more photos and video. *We recognize that some people are not comfortable posting/sharing the post on social media for obvious reasons, yet even privately texting/emailing a link of this post to unaware citizens can create more awareness and we encourage it.
Restore Ottawa Facebook Post
Not-So-Old News
Children Groomed at Grand Haven Drag Show...
If you prefer more of an article format to share instead of social media, Restore Ottawa does an excellent job with this account. *It's been 11 months since the Grand Haven Pride festival. Given what took place, we find this news Not-So-Old. Please share this information with citizens in Ottawa County.
--You really need to need to know who is running for office under the Republican Party "label." Many of them are not vetted Republicans. Not everyone who claims to be a Republican, IS a Republican. Some unvetted Republicans support the endeavors of exposing the Community's children to the content of these events in the name of "Inclusion."
Sick of this yet? Yeah, so are we.
Health
Four years ago in May of 2020, we were living out the third round of Gubernatorial cancellations in our state, and we had just finished lockdowns of an additional 30 days, past the initial "fifteen days to slow the spread." In this recent interview by the ethics-driven Dr. Scott Atlas hosted by Prager U, he and Interviewer Marissa Streit reflect on this History as he tells his important story about being involved with the Trump Administration.
Why We Were Forced to Jab and Mask...
Upcoming Events
Come see us on Memorial Day in Jenison!
If you are a Veteran and would like to join us by walking in the parade or riding on the trailer, please contact the Party either by email at [email protected] or call 616-396-3791. Delegates and their families can RSVP HERE
Also Upcoming...
MAY 16: Republican Endorsement Convention May 16. While this is a Private Delegate Event, be on the lookout after May 16 for Announcements of the outcome. There will be public information of which Republicans the Ottawa County Republican Delegation votes to endorse.
Volunteer Highlight
Beth Steenwyk
OCRP Secretary and Administration Chair
Beth Steenwyk has done significant work for our Party in the area of Administration and also as Party Secretary. She has so many talents and skills, we've decided to let her tell you about them herself. Beth is fundamental to our work as a County Party and we're excited for you to get to know her, too. It is our pleasure to highlight her in an interview Q and A.
What do you love the most about Ottawa County?
I was born and raised in Ottawa County, same with my husband, same with our kids. I love living here – we have beautiful Lake Michigan as the best border of our county – I grew up sailing, boating and fishing on Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan. I camped with my family along with Aunts, Uncles and cousins at Holland and Grand Haven State Parks. We went swimming as often as possible. —In the winter, my Dad took us to explore the frozen lakeshore and we had lots of sledding adventures. I love the West Michigan culture – things have changed over the years, but I’m still living amongst many that share the same values that I do.
Why specifically did you get involved in politics?
I found out several years ago that there is corruption in so many places, including in our voting system and government – I had no clue. I was so trusting and decided enough was enough. I wanted to do what I could do and get people in local, state and national seats that will govern righteously and justly.
Tell us about your office as "OCRP Secretary and Administrations Chair." Help us understand what it is and why people might get involved to help the party in this way.
I didn’t know what a Precinct Delegate was or what role they played until I found out about all the fraud in our government – even at the local level. When I won my seat as Precinct Delegate, I was told I only was required to attend two meetings a year.
Then I found out there was something called an “Executive Committee” and ended up getting voted to be on it. So much for two meetings a year!
It has been a rich experience to be on the Executive Committee and then to become the Secretary. As the Secretary of the Executive Committee, I automatically became the Chair of the Administration Sub-Committee. Fortunately, I have been blessed with administrative skills, am detail oriented, and have event planning in my background.
We all know that some things have to be completed by one person, but most meetings and for certain, every event, takes a team. So we collect others to help us complete the tasks needed for the various meetings and events we have and/or host.
Tell us about your background and other activities. We understand you're part of a prayer ministry among other things?
I have been a secretary, administrative assistant, bookkeeper, and have owned and operated multiple businesses with my husband. Our current business is Chicago Drive Storage, which is located on our home property, and we run it together. Dave & I attend church in Holland and are involved there as Home Life Group Leaders, Intercessory Council, and Sozo Ministry. I’m also in leadership at the West Michigan Prayer Center that meets weekly in Kentwood – we pray for our government and areas of cultural influence.
Please share about your family and how or why they are such an important part of your life?
I grew up in a Christian home, with two loving parents, three brothers and a dog. I had lots of cousins to play with growing up and I loved reading books and playing outdoors. I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, Dave, for 46 years and we have three grown children and eight darling granddaughters. We went from 0 to 6 granddaughters in 18 months. Our daughters each had a baby 8 months apart and then they each had twins 11 weeks apart. The oldest 2 are 13, the twins are 11, then the youngest two are 3 years old and 10 months old. They are all a blast and we love spending time with them!
I consider being a Christ-follower as the most important role in my life, followed by being a godly and loving wife, mother and Nana to my family.
What changes do you hope to impact by being involved in Ottawa County Politics?
I am a Patriot – I love America. I believe in upholding our Constitution – especially the Second Amendment. I want our country to return to her roots and operate from a basis of Biblical values – beginning with Ottawa County…
Anything else you'd like to share?
Thank you to all of the wonderful people I have met by becoming a Precinct Delegate. My life is richer from meeting and getting to know you!
Local Business Feature
In March, we featured Michigan Evergreen Nursery as our Local Business Feature. It is our goal here at the OCRP Newsletter to connect with local businesses who share our conservative values. We were excited to tell you about their Dawn-to-Dusk sale! *They did not raise their prices in spite of inflation.You can't afford NOT to go!
Don't miss their upcoming Dawn-to-Dusk Sale featured through May 23--June 1st!
Michigan Evergreen Nursery
It would be hard to live near West Olive or Allendale and not already know about this outstanding business. The Bakale family loves plants and freedom! They are primarily a Wholesale business, yet also have a wonderful Dawn-To-Dusk sale on the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends each year for the general public.
Whether you're in need of wholesale product or want to shop their well-known sales for your home, it's great to know you are supporting a business owned by conservative Patriots who love freedom and the Constitution of the United States of America.
Michigan Evergreen Nursery is a family-owned and operated wholesale nursery that was started in 1988 by John and Tom Bake and their sister Ann Marsman.
The nursery consists of 200 acres of production that services a large segment of the United States and Canada. The Nursery's mission is to provide quality nursery stock at competitive prices with outstanding customer service.
They are committed to responding to their customers’ needs and offering the latest and best plants and programs to benefit their customers.
Michigan Evergreen Nursery is a Midwest source for branded plants as well as a wide variety of the staple plant varieties of the industry. The branded programs feature the newest varieties from breeders around the world. In addition, advertising and marketing support from the brands further enhance your business displays and the consumer demand, which in turn, help you sell more plants.
Michigan Evergreen Nursery
10845 Lake Michigan Drive
West Olive, MI. 49460
Toll Free : 877.846.4406
Telephone : 616.846.4406
Fax : 616.895.4120
Mon - Fri: 8am - 5pm
www.michiganevergreennursery.com
Kids Kolumn
Enjoy this Word Search for Kids celebrating Memorial Day!
Click the pic for a link to the puzzle!
The Answer Key is available at the link as well, (but no cheating😊)

Elephant Fare
Laura Potgeter's Chicken Teriyaki!
Ingredients
3-4 lbs of chicken, bone-in wings and thighs
1 large onion, diced
3/4 C soy sauce
1 C real maple syrup (or may use brown sugar)
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C dry cooking sherry
Instructions
1. Broil chicken pieces on foil-lined sheet for 10 minutes.
Turn pieces over and broil for an additional 10 minutes.
2. While chicken is broiling, mix together remaining 6 ingredients.
3. Transfer to Roaster or Slow-Cooker. Cook on Low for 5-6 hours, or in Roaster/oven-covered, at 250 for 5/6 hours, or at 375 for 2-3 hours.
4. Stir occasionally to make sure chicken is covered with sauce.
Serve with rice and corn-on-the-cob. Broccoli works great with it too. Enjoy!
SHOP
Please help us support the Party. The truth: We need to raise a lot of money because of the upcoming big election season. The money pays for the expenses of running strong conservative candidates for all County, Region and State area races. Funds pay for rental spaces to distribute literature, mailers and events. Please consider purchasing a t-shirt or a sticker, or BOTH! Thank you!
Die Cut, Waterproof and UVA protected Sticker! Visit our Shop page to get yours now! Measures 4 x 3.48
These stickers look great on your stuff! Purchase one for $3.00, or two for $5.00, shipping included!
This amazing photo was taken on April 23, 2024 in Coopersville right after a thunderstorm had subsided. Both the setting sun and the evening moon can be seen as a backdrop to Old Glory. Thanks to Jenny Reinoehl from Coopersville for capturing this incredible shot and giving us permission to share it.
If you've felt informed by any portion of this Newsletter, please consider a donation. We need help preserving liberty in Ottawa County, especially as we prepare for the 2024 election. If you are willing to contribute, a donation of any size can be made here. Thank you!
©Original Content published by the OCRP, Inc, is the property of the OCRP, Inc. All rights reserved