Opinion 5-minute read
On Friday, March 28 Commissioner Joe Moss of District 5, sent a letter to the President of GVSU requesting her to honor the Presdient’s Executive Order on DEI, among other issues, out of concerns for the constituents in his District who pay taxes, as well as the GVSU students who reside in his District. Out of transparency, he immediately posted the letter online.
The same day, Commissioner Brugger of District 10 proceeded to [seemingly] make something out of nothing in a post of dramatic outrage as seen below.
Two days after Brugger’s post, in what became a kerfuffle, the Holland Sentinel published an article about the incident of the letter.
The OCRP's Response? This is a mere kerfuffle about "Letterhead" which is much ado about nothing. To demonstrate that it’s nothing, we’ve developed a list of reasonable questions to ask the Sentinel and other Commissioners who prefer that the Public focus on Commissioner Moss ***instead of the fact*** that GVSU may be violating a federal order to cancel their DEI programs.
List of Reasonable Questions Demonstrating Brugger and the Sentinel's Response is Nothing
—Why does Ottawa County have letterhead?
—Are elected officials not allowed to use letterhead in their individual capacity?
—Has a rule been passed whereby no other elected official in Ottawa County is going to sign letterhead without the Chair’s approval?
—Does the Sentinel and other Board Commissioners mean to say it is okay to quash Commissioner Moss’ first amendment right as an elected official? How is his speech “protected” when “dramatic dismay” is put forward from other commissioners that misleads the Public?
—We **trust that no other** elected officials of Ottawa County use or have used or will use the letterhead in an individual capacity before this nor ever again if in fact the media and other Commissioners mean to hold this view.
—Is it true that no electeds can use letterhead unless there is a Board majority?
—Is letterhead allowed to be used for saying “thank you” to a Constituent? Will any other elected officials use letterhead to reach out to their constituents?
—What about email? Are the electeds going to be required to be emailing as a whole group now as well? We observe the County logo appears in individual emails too…Will this “new” rule cover all platforms using the county logo/letterhead?
—-Is there a rule that stipulates the Chair or Vice Chair must sign off on all emails/letters written by Commissioners to their Constituents? ***Would it be “wise” to put forward the image that the C/vC [of separate District/s] can control what an Elected Official of another District says to their own constituents or to entities that could harm their specific voters and tax-payers?
—Has the Chair, Vice Chair or any other Commissioner written a letter using the letterhead prior to this as an individual elected…ever in the history of Ottawa County? If so, why isn’t there a headline or post expressing frustration about that person? (rhet.)
In Summary
***What’s good for U of M and Columbia University is also good for GVSU. Thanks Joe Moss for Ottawa County Commissioner for seeking to warn GVSU their potential violation may hurt their students, especially those who live in your district as well as the tax-paying citizens in D5. If Grand Valley State University loses millions in federal funding, THAT would be bad for everyone!
Individual commissioners have already earned the “gravitas” by winning their District races. Individual Commissioners can say whatever they want to their own voters and entities that impact their voters about **Public Policy, ** yet being obsessed with other elected officals isn’t healthy or good for the voters/citizens. We notice Commissioner Moss did not mention his colleagues negatively in his letter and does not put forward negative, misinterpreted tabloid-style information, but instead asks questions and makes requests on behalf of his constituents.
