After cutting ties with far-right leaning Pac group Ottawa Impact in March, the Republican Party of Ottawa County is censuring County Commissioner Jacob Bonnema for “violating party values.”
Calls from WGVU to Bonnema were not returned, but talking to the media about the Board of Commissioners in the first place is part of the reason that the newly-elected official has fallen out of grace with the area’s GOP,
In a letter released to the public Thursday, the Ottawa County Republican party says it is censuring Bonnema for behavior "unbecoming of a public servant;' one of them—an interview he gave to The Washington Post that included disparaging remarks about his fellow commissioners, the majority of which are endorsed by Ottawa Impact.
Censuring does not mean removal from office, it is more of public declaration of disapproval that often comes with disciplinary consequences; in this case, it strips Bonnema of his party voting rights for the next six meetings.
The GOP also criticized Bonnema for supporting medical mandates while voting three times with lone Democrat Commissioner Doug Zylstra, and exhibiting a "camaraderie" between them.
Meanwhile rebuking Bonnema for requesting an investigation into Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs, after claims of “harassment, intimidation and threats” had been made against the former congressional candidate.
