After being stripped of his role as vice chair of the Finance and Administration Committee Tuesday, Commissioner Jacob Bonnema publicly berated chair Joe Moss for how he has run the Ottawa County Board.
The ongoing feud between Ottawa Board Chair Joe Moss, and ostracized County Commissioner Jacob Bonnema came to blows Tuesday evening, as Bonnema admonished Moss for playing retaliatory politics and personally targeting those who disagreed with his political agenda.
“Public attacks on you are not because of your conservative values,” Bonnema said to Moss. “It’s because you operate in darkness and choose chaos over sound judgment. Actions like these spotlight your incompetence.”
Ottawa Impact is a far-right leaning Political Action Committee co-founded by Moss, that had endorsed the majority of newly elected Republican commissioners last November, including Bonnema.
When Bonnema cut ties with Ottawa Impact last spring and filed a complaint with human resources over County Administrator John Gibbs, the Board then moved to censure Bonnema, while prohibiting him from voting in future board meetings for the next six months.
The removal of his role as vice chair of the board’s Finance and Administration Committee outraged the commissioner Tuesday, who did not mix words as he rebuked Moss for his unethical approach to local government.
“This is cowardly, vindictive and very unlawful,” Bonnema said. “Acting vindictive and cruel are not conservative values, yet you celebrate these actions as brave.”
Moss in return said that Bonnema had exhibited “patterns of behavior,” and the Finance and Administration Committee want “someone they can trust.”
