As part of the February WKTV Journal Newscast, we previewed the 18th annual Taste of Kentwood event on Thursday, March 14, coming to the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, with two sessions: one from 4:30 to 6 p.m., and another from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The event will also include live music from Just Cuz, an acoustic duo that performs an eclectic mix of cover tunes from a variety of genres.
Participating restaurants include: Boardwalk Subs, City Barbeque, PJ’s Pizza, Coffee & Ice Cream, Underground Cookie Club, The Candied Yam, Daddy Pete’s BBQ, Loco Taco Taqueria, Desi Spice, Peppino’s South Kentwood, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Thai Express, Jet’s Pizza, YoChef’s Catering Company and Le Kebob.
The event is open to everyone in the community. Tickets cost $6 and can be purchased online in advance, $8 on the day of event. Kids 5 and younger are free.
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
After an illustrious career that spanned 38 seasons over 43 years, Jock Ambrose, head swim coach for the East Kentwood Falcons boys swim team, is stepping down from his position.
Ambrose accomplished a lot in his 38 seasons as head swim coach including 17 league titles, three state runner-ups, two state championships, and five Coach of the Year honors.
In his 43 years in the East Kentwood community, Ambrose not only served as the boys head swim coach but also as the boys water polo coach from 1977-1992, girls swim coach from 1994-1997, and athletic director from 1997-2001. He also served as Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (MISCA) area vice president for seven years, and MISCA water polo chair for five years. He was the founder of the West Michigan Water Polo League, and a founding member of the West Michigan Swim League.
But it wasn’t any of the awards, honors or positions that Ambrose said he will miss most.
“It’s the people around here, in this community that have made it as special as it is and will make it tough for me to walk away,” Ambrose said to WKTV.
Ambrose had a lot of praise for his final team as head coach, currently in its winter swim season, and its group of seniors — “This senior class is a tremendous group of young men, and a great group of leaders.”
The coach went on to give praise to his three senior captains — Nick Cohey, Theo Duong, and Max Henderson — who have stuck with the program all four years.
Ambrose has hopes of finishing his final season in the top half of the team’s state swim division and “to make a nice showing at the state meet. It’s been a few years since we’ve done that and I think this senior class is ready to.”
Ambrose also had a very optimistic outlook on the future of this program once he’s done as head coach. “We’ve got a wonderful freshman class, they’re going to be very, very good, four of them have senior brothers on the team so that’s very exciting.”
This video story and all sports news segments are available on the WKTV YouTube channel . All featured games covered by WKTV’s sports coverage crew, as well as other community events covered, are available on-demand at wktvondemand.com .
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports .
In a recent interview with Kentwood City Police Department Deputy Chief Richard Roberts, and local resident Pam Schichtel, WKTV Journal found out more about the department’s volunteer program as part of our November WKTV Journal newscast.
As a way to give back to the community they love so much, Kentwood residents volunteer thousands of hours annually to the program in order to keep the city safe. Schichtel tells us why she volunteers.
Deputy Chief Roberts and the rest of his department are grateful for the assistance given to them by these citizens and hope to see more involvement in the program in order to better serve the community with excellence. He tells us what the volunteers do and how people can join the team.
WKTV Journal airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. For more information regarding the police volunteer program please click here.
James Sofranko, the newly appointed artistic director to the Grand Rapids Ballet, has a lot in store for the upcoming 2018-19 season. Having only started his work with the company and having moved to Grand Rapids last month, Sofranko has still managed to find adjusting easy.
“It’s been really easy so far to get to know everyone,” Sofranko said to WKTV. “Everyone’s really welcoming and happy. I already feel like Grand Rapids is a nice place to live.”
Sofranko was most recently a featured soloist for the San Francisco ballet, and has a unique background that should bring a special flavor to the Grand Rapids Ballet.
“I studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and then I spent 18 years in a classical ballet company in San Francisco (the San Francisco Ballet) where I was a soloist,” he explains, “So I have kind of a foot in both contemporary and classical traditional ballet worlds. … As a dancer I was versatile and I could do both of those well, and I’d like to bring that out of the dancers here in Grand Rapids.”
When asked about his current projects, Sofranko explained that currently he is teaching the summer program and preparing for the dancers to arrive around the end of the summer.
“The summer program is going on right now so I’m teaching class for them,” he said. “So for now it’s just a lot of office work and meetings and planning and scheduling. But I’m really eager to get back in the studio. That will happen when the dancers come.”
And when the dancers do come, Sofranko has a lot in store for the Grand Rapids Ballet.
The season will open with a gala dedicated to his arrival, featuring “Wild Sweet Love”, a ballet that Sofranko is particularly enthusiastic about, as well as his first choreographic work for the company.
James Sofranko. (photo by Andrew Weeks)
“I’m really excited about ‘Wild Sweet Love’. It’s from a choreographer named Trey McIntyre and it’s a great piece. It’s set to music from Queen, The Partridge Family, Roberta Flack, Lou Reed; a lot of different pop music so that already makes for a very fun evening, and you leave the theater singing some tunes, and it’s kind of a romp through the world of love.”
Other ballets that are slated for Sofranko’s Welcome Gala include “Allegro Brilliante” and “Ghost Light”, and Sofranko will be presenting a new piece as well.
The gala is sure to be a night to remember, complete with “an elegant seated dinner with James, local dignitaries, VIPs, and fellow ballet lovers at L3VEL at The B.O.B in downtown Grand Rapids,” according to the ballet’s website. The event will be concluded with “a glamorous, glitter-filled champagne after-party with beautiful and talented dancers at Peter Martin Wege Theatre.”
Tickets for the gala can be purchased via Ticketmaster through the Grand Rapids Ballet website. The event will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 18.
Sofranko, while receiving a warm welcome from Grand Rapids, concluded his interview with WKTV by expressing his belief that ballet is for everyone.
“If you’ve never experienced a ballet performance before, you should come on out and see one,” he said. “You don’t need to be nervous that you’ve never seen anything like this before. You don’t have to have any pre-knowledge about what ballet is or what art is. There’s so many different ways to enjoy this art form.”
And with the Grand Rapids Ballet ready for an exciting new start this fall, there will be many chances to enjoy it, as well.
Wyoming: City hires Scott Smith as new city attorney
Scott G. Smith
The Wyoming City Council has hired Scott Smith as its city attorney. Smith will serve as the city’s chief legal advisor, responsible for providing legal services to the City Council, city manager, all departments, and city boards and commissions. He will render legal opinions, prepare contracts, ordinances, resolutions, leases and other documents, and assist in drafting proposed legislation on matters of interest to the City.
Kentwood: The Vibe parks and rec gala coming this week
Katelyn Bush
Community members and friends are invited to attend The Vibe, a Parks and Recreation gala benefiting Kentwood’s Adaptive Sports programs, which provide recreation opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The celebration will take place on Friday, May 18 from 6-10 p.m. at Stonewater Country Club, located at 7177 Kalamazoo Avenue SE in Caledonia.
Government Matters: Ballot measures are headed to a voting booth near you, maybe
Possible Michigan legislative action driven by probable fall ballot measures on prevailing wage and recreational marijuana use was a key part of the discussion Monday, May 14, as part of the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Government Matters meeting held at Kentwood City Hall.
WKTV programs: WKTV Journal offers Newscast and in-depth interviews
WKTV Journal is not only online/print but video programs as well. On the latest episode of WKTV Journal’s newscast, voters for Godfrey-Lee Public Schools pass a sinking millage for the district and the 28th Street Metro Cruise Dust-Off took place. The local farmers markets are preparing to open with Metro Health Farm Market underway and the Kentwood Farmers Market set to start in June.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus is Dr. Rob Davidson, Democratic candidate for Michigan’s District 2 U.S. House seat currently held by Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga. That district includes both the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood.
West Michigan: Meijer Gardens Tuesday evening concerts plays it local
Kathy Lamar and Robin Connell, taken at J D Reardon’s. (Supplied)
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has announced a nine-show lineup for the Tuesday Evening Music Club with a diverse two-month program of live bands ranging from jazz to indie, rock to folk. Taking place on the Gardens’ 1,900-seat amphitheater stage, the Tuesday concerts are free to Meijer Gardens members and include admission throughout July and August.
“This Was My Land” (1990). Armand Merizon gave this painting to Dave and Muriel in exchange for a Lake Michigan painting he wanted back and destroyed. (Supplied)
“On An Overgrown Path” (1997). (Supplied. Collection of Sidney J. Jansma, Jr.)
Every person who knew the late West Michigan artist Armand Merizon has stories to tell — stories of a complex man’s triumphs and struggles, of a brilliant painter with a sometimes struggling career, but ultimately of an artistic life well lived.
And every person who has seen one of his paintings has his or her own story to tell: the story the acclaimed artist constantly worked to convey in just about every work he created.
Muriel Zandstra — friend, repeated interviewer, and artistic advocate of Merizon for five decades — has her own stories to tell, and she has told them, accompanied by the most complete visual review of the artist’s work, in a new book, “Armand Merizon: His Life and Art”.
Armand Merizon in studio (with image of musical influence Beethoven). (Supplied)
“The reason for producing the book, for all it involved, was more than just good friendship,” Zandstra said to WKTV. “It was an overwhelming belief in the man and his art. I think he’s not just a ‘good’ artist, but a ‘great’ artist and his legacy should live on. I strongly believe, as do all the art professionals who knew him, that Merizon is a significant 20th century American artist who needs to be elevated to his rightful position in the art world.”
The new book was not Zandstra’s first effort to shine a light on Merizon. She co-produced with Jennifer Dornbush a documentary about the artist, “ARMAND”, in 2005, when he was 85 and in ill-health with terrible arthritis in his hands and advanced macular degeneration in his eyes. He died in 2010.
“Since I had already done so much research on him for the documentary, I was the best equipped to take on the challenge of creating a book,” Zandstra said. “Though it was a natural, it was still an unexpected and unsought-after project for my retirement. I needed the help of many professionals to pull it off.”
What they pulled off — she credits the work of Jan Keessen and Randall VanderMey on the book’s dust jacket — was a 240-page, oversized hardcover “coffee table book” of such beauty, such comprehensiveness that it deserves a place of more prominence than a coffee table. It contains photographs of more than 200 of the artist’s works, beginning with an early work from 1932, “Fall Tree”, a stunningly mature pastoral work for a 12-year-old, to one of the last of his paintings, the abstract “In D Minor”, from 2009.
“After coproducing and broadcasting the documentary “ARMAND” in 2005, people wanted to see more of Merizon’s art and learn more about the genius behind them,” she said. “There was not any one gallery or museum where I could direct them to go since so many of his paintings are held in private homes. It seemed the only logical way to get his artwork out there was for someone to come up with a catalog art book. … It would be geared for the general public though also suitable for professionals and serious artists to study and learn from.”
For a short video review of Merizon’s work, and an on-air WKTV Journal interview with Zandstra, see the following video.
Author shares personal stories of artist
Zandstra tells many stories about her interactions with Merizon over the years, both in the book and sitting in the living room of the rural Reed City home she shares with her husband, Dave. Two stories tell of the depth of their relationship: one of a painting given and returned, and another of the artist and his model.
Merizon had a habit of giving paintings in exchange for others’ services rendered — just ask any of a number of local doctors who have Merizon paintings in their offices. In Zandstra’s case, it was a seascape given during the years she babysit for the family; a painting given and then returned and destroyed.
“That painting was a delightful, photographic kind of painting, I was thrilled with it,” she said. “But I could tell over the years that he was doing something deeper. … Even though everybody liked the painting, I was thinking there is something not quite right in this painting.
“One day I said, ‘Would you like to see your paintings that I have? You paint them and then they are gone and you need to see them again.’ He said, ‘Yes I would.’ … I brought them the next time and when he looked at that one he goes ‘Yuck! The horizon line is too close to the center. And the shoreline is washed out.’ He said the only redeeming thing are the clouds in the sky. He said you know, ‘Could I have it back?’ And I said, ‘Yep’. So I just gave it back to him.
“This Was My Land” (1990). Armand Merizon gave this painting to Dave and Muriel in exchange for a Lake Michigan painting he wanted back and destroyed. (Supplied)
“Then a couple months later, when I visited him, he said, ‘I would like to upgrade your collection. I want to give one that Dave would like, that he would relate too as well, he is a farmer, a teacher.’ And he gave me that one painting,” she said, pointing to a wall in her living room and to a ghostly, deeply moving painting titled “This Was My Land”.
Another story led to a painting of Muriel herself by Merizon, included on the book’s dust jacket’s front flap. It is called “Portrait of Muriel” from 1966; it is a delicate facial portrait of soft colors that looks unfinished by design.
“He was always trying new things, as I have said, always experimenting,” she said. “He was doing portraits a lot during he 1950s and ’60s, to make money. But he wanted to try something new. So, I was babysitting for him at the time and he said, ‘Would you mind coming over, I want to try a new technique. I want to just capture the eyes, nose and mouth, because everything else changes in a person — hair styles, your clothing — everything changes, but your facial features stay the same.’
“Portrait of Muriel” (Supplied)
“He did an ink sketch first, then he did this more soft painting. So he had these two done and he said ‘Which one do you like better?’ I looked at them both, and I like the more finished one, with the color in it. So I picked that one, and he said, ‘Well you can have it for $35 dollars’.”
Merizon, Zandstra points out, made a living off his art. And she had no problem paying for his works then, nor later in their relationship.
“What Merizon has given to me personally over the years is invaluable,” Zandstra said. “Besides gifting me several art pieces, he has taught me a real appreciation for the fine arts, a reverence for the natural world, and a deep ethical sense with which to live by. His integrity was impeccable.
“I can never give back to him what he has given to me. I collect his art because I feel it is timeless, thought provoking and a real inspiration to me. It brings joy and peace.”
Leafing through Zandstra’s book one gets the same sense: Timeless, thought provoking, inspirational.
“Armand Merizon: His Life and Art” can purchased the book off E-bay and Amazon, as well as in person at Merizon Studio, Baker Book House, Meijer Gardens, the Grand Rapid Art Museum, Mercury Head Gallery, Perceptions Gallery, Calvin College and Kendall College. For more information on Zandstra and the book visit merizonbook.strikingly.com .
It would have been easy for Metro Health-University of Michigan Health to just dispose of the huge banners created as temporary building signs when the two health care providers joined in 2016. But that’s not their way of doing business.
So, when permanent signage was placed on the healthcare providers’s hospital, located at 5900 Byron Center Ave SW in Wyoming, the temporary signs were put into storage and discussions started on how to recycle them in some way.
That is when Metro Health Foundation’s impACT Board, and a burgeoning relationship with Mel Trotter Ministries, came up with the answer — make blankets to help the homeless in our area.
On Feb. 16, a total of 145 weather-resistant blankets, along with several bags containing personal care items, were delivered to Mel Trotter Ministries in the Heartside of downtown Grand Rapids.
Dean Herried, Mel Trotter Ministries (WKTV)
“These blankets are going to be utilized by individuals and families here to help keep them warm during these cold winter months in Michigan,” Dean Herried, chief engagement officer for Mel Trotter Ministries, said to WKTV. “We are so thankful for our partnership with the impACT Board, with the University of Michigan Health Foundation, with Metro Health Hospital Foundation, for their generous donation of these blankets. We would not be able to do this without their help and assistance.”
The four original banners were made to be weather-proof — they hung on the hospital for more than six months and took a lot of beating — and, with the addition of the felt, the blankets now can provide some protection from the cold as well. Some of the material was also turned into bags to be filled with a blanket and other personal needs, also to be given out to the homeless through Mel Trotter Ministries.
“This really helps Mel Trotter fulfill our mission of showing the compassion of Christ through programs of restoration and rescue in our community,” Herried said.
In a different way, the donation — and the work put into turning banners into blankets — fulfills the mission of Metro Health-University of Michigan Health.
Trevor Mier, Metro Health-University of Michigan Health. (WKTV)
“This donation really came about as a result of us having a long history of sustainable practices at the hospital,” Trevor Mier, Support Services administrator for Metro Health-University of Michigan Health, said to WKTV. “We hated to think about these temporary banners being thrown away once we are done with them. So we came up with the idea of recycling them into something, but we were not exactly sure what that was going to be.”
The healthcare provider had some discussions, decided it would be a good idea to establish a relationship with Mel Trotter Ministries, through the impACT Board, to support the ministries’ efforts to help the homeless. And the idea was born.
“What if we took those banners and turned them into blankets for the homeless at Mel Trotter?” Mier said. “So we reached out to a vender we had used before in the past, and they cut up the banners into 3(foot) by 5(foot) sections, sewed a little bit of felt onto them, and turned them into these great blankets for those in need downtown.”
The goal of the Metro Health Hospital Foundation’s impACT Board, according to its website, is “Mobilizing community through change-makers, who use their skills and careers to drive vital change. … Many people want to make a difference, but turning good intentions into tangible impact can be hard. With the Foundation impACT Board, professionals and community do-gooders become the most effective change-agents they can be by taking on community health projects, volunteering at organizations with like causes and building a strong network of brand ambassadors for Metro Health Hospital Foundation.”
The City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department offered three development plan options for Gezon Park which were produced by Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
After a more than 90-minute public information meeting Thursday detailing design plan options for Gezon Park, the city is well on its way to deciding a master plan for utilization of about 52 acres of a 94-acre city-owned parcel of land surrounded by neighborhoods and commercial development.
The meeting, attended by about 30 citizens and held at Metro Health University of Michigan Health Conference Center near the park, was the second public meeting on the master plan, and one one survey is in the books and another currently in process.
The initial electronic survey seeking input on recreation facility needs had more than 1,200 responses.
Rebecca Rynbrandt, Director of Community Services for the City of Wyoming, says she is pleased with the level of community input throughout the process so far.
About 30 people attended the the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department meeting on the Gezon Park master plan. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Community involvement “continues to be robust,” Rynbrandt said after the Feb. 8 meeting. “After this meeting, we are launching another survey — limited time, though Monday (Feb. 11) — to be able to ascertain from the larger public, those who were not able to be here tonight.
“We want that participation and that transparency,” she said. “I think, when we have that type of public focus, it reaffirms the values the citizens put on parks and recreation in our community.”
Gezon Park, which was a city-owned well field, encompasses about 94 acres between Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. It has entrances from both Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. Baseball fields and restrooms are located near the south Gezon Parkway entrance and the 52nd Street entrance has playground equipment and walking trails. Most of the park remains undeveloped, however.
Prior to and at the Thursday meeting, the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department offered three development plan options for Gezon Park which were produced by Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio.
It was explained at the Thursday meeting that the three presented options are not “pick one” situation but that elements of each could be included in the final plan. Also at the meeting, many citizens expressed they opinion on elements they liked — and didn’t like in the three plans.
While there was general approval of the overall plans for utilization of the park at the meeting, there was also concern expressed about impact on wildlife during and after development, as well as safety within the park at night — especially if the middle of the park gained greater vehicle access. There was also a suggestion of a fenced dog park area.
After the initial public input process, there will be review and recommendation from Wyoming Parks and Recreation Commission and the Wyoming Planning Commission. The plan will then be presented to the Wyoming City Council for its final approval.
National Night Out offered neighborhood interaction with local police and fire departments. (WKTV file photo)
WKTV Staff
news@wktv.org
WKTV Journal’s biweekly video newscast premiers its newest episode today with segments on the Wyoming and Kentwood’s National Night Out events, the annual Metro Cruise, and Buck Creek Nature Preserve’s new braille trail.
WKTV Journal’s newscast premiers biweekly on Monday at 8 a.m., and then is broadcast at various times and dates on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 25 and on AT&T Channel 99 Community channel. This week, it will run on WKTV 25 Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the following times: 11:58 a.m., 4:55 p.m. and 5:52 p.m., and on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 1:06 a.m. This week it will run on WKTV Channel 26 on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 6:58 p.m. and 9:52 p.m.
There was the usual speeches and ribbon-cutting at the grand opening of the renovated Ford airport viewing area. But that was only part of the story. (WKTV)
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport’s celebrated the $1.1 million renovation of its viewing area with a grand opening May 31 where a big crowd heard about the commitment of the airport management — including to making the facility as safe as it is scenic — and the involvement of community donors to the park.
But, like the visceral thrill of watching a big jet airplane take off or land, the new facility will be viewed in very personal terms by two very different people.
Jennifer Zirkle and sons James (front) and Tyler. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Jennifer Zirkle will always see the park as the place where her autistic son James really began to interact with the world. And David Bottrall, whose family foundation made a substantial contribution to the Cascade Community Foundation’s fundraising effort for the project, will always see the park — and its restroom facilities — as a grand memory of his father.
This story was part of a WKTV Newscast now on YouTube; to view it go here.
‘Life changing’ event for youth
Zirkle, who spoke to the crowd and then to WKTV after the event, said viewing airport activities from the old park was a “life-changing” moment in her son’s life.
“My son was diagnosed with autism at 2-1/2, he is now six. At three he still had no words,” she said. “In July of 2014, he was 3-1/2 and we came to drop my mother off at the airport for a vacation, we ended up coming out here and he just got so excited, seeing the airplanes, he wanted to come back.
“When we did, he said ‘airplanes’ and I said ‘Oh my gosh, he just said something.’ It has been absolutely amazing that the airplanes, watching them, has actually brought him out. … It sparked something in his little brain that said ‘It is its for me to express myself.’ That was a big catalyst for him. He wanted to share, he wanted to learn more. It brought him out into the world.”
A father and son moment
David Bottrall, with his mother Joyce S. Wisner. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Bottrall, with his mother Joyce S. Wisner, was present at the park opening representing the Tassell Wisner Bottrall Foundation, a major contributor to the park project. However, he will likely always view the park as a special place, a special moment spent with his deceased father, Thomas Wisner
“My father, Thom Wisner, was fascinated with the subject (of aviation), he had a lifelong desire to learn to fly helicopters,” Bottrall said. “It was a dream he was not able to check off his bucket list, before he died of pancreatic cancer 2-1/2 years ago.
“But shortly before he passed away, he sat under a tent during a fundraising status event for this park an out of the blue, spontaneously, he gave another gift to this project. This time for the restrooms. He so badly wanted to see this park built, he knew how much fun it is to just sit here. I also think he knew that these restrooms would make him the most popular person in the park several times a day.”
Safety and security in design
With the park offering one of the closest view of a major airport runways in the country, it will also offer new visitors the ability to have their own personal stories associated with the park.
Jim Gill, Gerald R. Ford International Airport CEO. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
And while airport CEO Jim Gill is proud of the new facility and its ability to give viewers outstanding visual access, he also is proud of the safety and security measures that were a key part of the design by Mathison & Mathison Architects.
“This location opened in 1995 and it has been a favorite among folks in the community and aviation enthusiasts. … We hope we can continue to be part of creating memories,” Gill said. “Interesting fact, the viewing park you are sitting at not is actually the closest viewing park to any active commercial runway in the united states.”
But, Gill told WKTV. “At the airport, our number one goal is always safety and security. If we are not safe and secure, we are not much of anything else.”
The renovation of the park started in 2016, and it not only brings a covered viewing facility and restrooms to the location but increases the parking available from 56 to 104 spaces, and adds space for four buses.
“This is all because of the efforts of our partners (in the project), who we could not have done without, the Cascade Community Foundation, we want to thank you for your fundraising efforts and your continuing efforts. … and also airport board.”
U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga talked to the public at Godwin Heights High School. (WKTV)
By. K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
For about two hours, U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga, a Republican from Michigan’s Second Congressional District, stood in front of an audience of about 200 people attending a Town Hall Listening session April 11 at Godwin Heights High School.
Rep. Huizenga spent some time defending his recent congressional actions and stands on current issues such as President Donald Trump’s Syrian bombing decision, Obamacare and the Republican-led efforts to overhaul the American healthcare system, and the future of American leadership in battling climate change.
But for much of the meeting, he stood quietly and heard a mostly antagonistic, often aggressive, crowd attack him from all sides. And, Huizenga says, the scenario has become all too common since the last election.
“Absolutely,” Rep. Huizenga said to a question from WKTV. “It is, I think, a backstop that many people — who believed was there with Barack Obama at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, acting as their backstop — is now gone. And they are seeing that their political beliefs, which you could argue are maybe a bit out of step with what most of West Michigan is, doesn’t have a champion in Washington right now.
“Clearly that is why, I think, they have gotten more — aggressive is maybe one of the words, but I think it is just a level of concern that has been ramped up,” Huizenga said.
Huizenga was able to explain his stands on several topics: He supports President Donald Trump’s Syrian bombing decision. He thinks Obamacare is doomed and only new Republican-led action can save the American healthcare system. He thinks the issue of Nestle Corporation extracting more groundwater from Michigan is a state issue, not his issue, to deal with. And he thinks the United States should not go it alone in dealing with climate change and supports roll-backs of President Barack Obama’s actions on the issue.
Dorr resident Bill Keysor prefaced his question about Obamacare by saying he was “mad” that Huizenga hasn’t been doing his job. (WKTV)
But a not uncommon prelude to a question was critical remarks, including one from Dorr resident Bill Keysor, who prefaced his question about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) with the statement that he was “mad you haven’t been doing your job … (that you’d) rather play politics than represent us the way we’d like to be represented.”
And the often contentious talk does it make it more difficult for the Representative to explain his actions, to define his beliefs, Huizenga said.
“There are some folks there to actually have a dialogue,” he said. “My doctor, who was there … We don’t agree politically, which is fine. But trying to have a conversation … depending on the question, trying to have a conversation (is hard). They were demanding I have an answer or demanding I be quiet and listen. Well, OK. Do you want a response or not want a response?”
But “that’s fine. I mean, I get it. This is part of the job. We will keep doing it, we have always done it before. It hasn’t always gotten quite the attention that it is receiving right now. But what I want to do is to point out that I like those times when it is productive. … Is is just unfortunate that when you have people that are somehow trying to deny other folks, from their opportunity to be a part of this. That’s just disappointing, frankly.”
The Wyoming town hall meeting was the third since the start of the new year. He talked to a crowd of about 300 people in Baldwin in February, and about 1,000 in Grand Haven in March.
For more information about the Representative’s agenda and actions, visit huizenga.house.gov
