Letter from the President of Ottawa Impact

August 1, 2021

Dear Friend,

Our mission is to preserve the heritage of Ottawa County and protect individual freedoms. The Constitution is our North Star; the Bible is our guidebook.

My family and I were shocked to see heavy-handed responses from our local government during the Covid-19 pandemic. I suspect you were surprised, too.

The majority of the Ottawa County board of commissioners, the county administrator, the county attorney, and leading members of the county health department joined with Governor Whitmer on harsh enforcement of Covid-19 orders.

  1. They abandoned the essential principles of freedom that America is founded on.
  2. They denied parents the right to make decisions for their own children.
  3. They ignored pleas from citizens asking them to restore self-governance and defend their rights.

After a local Christian school filed a lawsuit against the county, the county attorney (Doug Van Essen) described the school’s actions as based on “an ignorant conservative political agenda.”

People in Ottawa County are not ignorant. They simply want self-governance, which is a human right woven into our DNA.

Mr. Van Essen was right about one thing: The people of Ottawa County ARE conservative. The generous, hard-working, God-fearing heritage of Ottawa County is known across the State of Michigan.

President Ronald Reagan said, “We the People tell the Government what to do—it doesn’t tell us.” The basic obligation of local government is to defend people’s rights. People serving in local government must always prioritize the citizens, instead of preserving their own positions.

Ottawa Impact is a coalition of parents, teachers, pastors, business owners, elected officials, and more. We reject the status quo by actively promoting the principles of freedom.

We wrote the Contract with Ottawa, a standard by which to hold elected officials accountable and measure their behavior.

We launched a separate political action committee called Ottawa Impact PAC which will provide endorsements and funds to local candidates who agree with and sign the Contract with Ottawa.

Join us as we work together to restore Ottawa County as a leader of patriotism and liberty in the State of Michigan!

Leading the charge,

Joe Moss
President