One Kent Proposal

All of you have heard newspaper accounts of the February proposal from a group of businessman to form a combined Kent County/City of Grand Rapids county government entity. There are numerous mixed reactions to this proposal. The County Commission Chair and the Mayor of Grand Rapids have formed a joint committee— along with members of the “One Kent” Coalition to further research this possibility. One of the tenets of my commission campaign was to be supportive of collaborative efforts on the part of the county, so on one hand I am supportive of this type of effort. What I don’t support, however, is the manner in which this group have made their proposal. It is being done with very little research into the pros and cons of such an effort, how it would affect other local governments in the county, what it would cost in terms of funds and loss of local control, and whether government services would be enhanced. As I’ve indicated before, the county and city—as well as all local cities and townships do collaborate in many things already. We need to be sure these efforts are not lost in the discussion, and that the concerns of all local municipalities are included. Eventually it appears this will come to a vote of the people. In the meantime, I would welcome your thoughts and suggestions. I hope to keep involved, and will let you know any significant items needing further comment.