Tag Archives: politics

New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker is coming to the Ford Museum

April 11, 20243-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Kent County, Local History, Politics, Upcoming Events, West MichiganChief White House Correspondent, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, Journalism, National Archives and Records Administration, New York Times, Peter Baker, politicsDeborah Reed

Renowned journalist Peter Baker will present his journalistic view on the evolving role of the vice presidency on April 23 (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will host Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for MSNBC, on Tuesday, April 23.

Having reported on the last five presidencies for The Times and The Washington Post, Baker will
present “Covering the Vice Presidency: Lessons Learned on the Road,” his journalistic view on the
evolving role of the vice presidency.

This public lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Ford Museum, and is free to attend. There will be a Zoom alternative for those unable to attend in-person.

Admission to this Ford Museum event is free (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

Knowledge & Insight

“We are honored to host the esteemed Peter Baker, renowned for his incisive journalism, at the museum,” said Brooke Clement, Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. “The audience will be treated to Baker’s extensive first-hand knowledge of the last five presidential administrations and his keen insight into American politics.”

At The Post, Baker served as Moscow Co-Bureau Chief and covered the opening months of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is author of seven books written with his wife Susan Glasser of The New Yorker. The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 and The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III are two of Baker’s best-selling works. Baker is also a frequent panelist on Washington Week on PBS.

For more information about the event, click here.

Learning & Reflection

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum allows visitors to experience highlights from the lives of President Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States (1974–1977), and his wife Betty Ford.

Museum exhibits teach democratic citizenship and allow for quiet reflection. In addition, changing temporary exhibits draw artifacts from partner museums nationwide.

Part of the presidential library system of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Ford Museum is located in downtown Grand Rapids. The Ford Library is located on the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation’s record keeper. It safeguards and manages the official records of the U.S. Government, ensuring the documentation of our nation’s history.

Kentwood city official hired as Kent County second deputy county administrator

August 4, 20223-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, West MichiganCity of Kentwood, politicsCris Greer

By WKTV Staff

Kentwood deputy city administrator Mark Rambo was hired by Kent County as the second deputy county administrator, which is a recently reclassified position. He will start in this new role on August 29.

“I am delighted to welcome Mark Rambo to the county executive team,” said Kent County Administrator Al Vanderberg. “His well-rounded experiences with the City of Kentwood, Grand Valley State University, City of Walker, and Village of Howard City have prepared him to assist us in moving the dial on the myriad of internal and community challenges and opportunities facing the County.”

Kentwood deputy city administrator Mark Rambo was hired by Kent County as the second deputy county administrator. (Courtesy)

Most recently, Rambo was the deputy city administrator for Kentwood. During his tenure with the city, he facilitated a resident advisory committee to establish priorities and sustainable funding options for its parks and recreation; chaired a collaboration of local officials from the six largest metropolitan areas on problem-solving issues facing the community; assisted in the development of multiple payments in lieu of taxes agreements for affordable housing developments and health care providers; and chaired a consortium of more than 20 local units of government and telecommunications providers on a permitting process and fee structure for use of the public rights-of-way.

Rambo currently chairs the Kent County Road Commission and previously held operations and administrative positions with Grand Valley State University, the Village of Howard City, and the City of Walker. He also has a long history of serving on numerous community boards and committees.

“It has been a privilege to serve the City of Kentwood and help facilitate their growth as a welcoming and thriving community for residents and businesses,” said Rambo, who holds a Master of Public Administration degree and is a credentialed manager through the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). “I look forward to further serving Kent County and am excited to work alongside the County Administrator and staff, the Board of Commissioners, and community stakeholders to continue to make West Michigan an outstanding place to live, work and play.”

Rambo will coordinate and oversee operations activities of the Equalization, Facilities, Parks and Information Technology Departments and facilitate several task force initiatives all under the direction of the County Administrator. Deputy County Administrator Jenny James will oversee the County’s health and human services operations.

Voters should return absentee ballots in person, via drop box

July 21, 20223-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Election, West MichiganElections, Kentwood, politics, Voting, WyomingCris Greer

By WKTV Staff

With less than two weeks remaining until the statewide primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 2, Michigan voters who have not returned their absentee ballot are encouraged to hand deliver it to a local drop box or their clerk’s office to avoid postal delays.

The City of Wyoming drop box (and usually drive-up) for absentee ballots. (WKTV)

“Drop boxes continue to be among the safe options that voters have to return their ballot securely this year, in addition to hand-delivering their ballot to their clerk’s office, voting early at their clerk’s office, or voting at their polling place on Election Day,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

Eligible residents who have not yet registered to vote can do so in person at their city or township clerk’s office now through 8 p.m. on Election Day. They also can request and submit an absentee ballot at the clerk’s office in the same trip. Citizens who still need to register must do so in person at their clerk’s office if they wish to vote in the August primary, as online and mail registration is not permitted within 14 days of an election.

Voters can check the status of their absentee application or ballot online at Michigan.gov/Vote or by contacting their local election clerk. Voters who already received an absentee ballot should complete it, sign the envelope and mail it or drop it off at their clerk’s office or drop box as soon as possible.

Citizens also can vote in person at their polling place on Election Day, Aug. 2. Polls will be open 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

City of Wyoming

City of Wyoming Clerk Kelli VandenBerg said the city has about 5,700 registered voters and her office is working to do the best to serve all of them for the election.

For absentee ballots, her office has seen an increase since the change was made in 2018. For elections, the city is seeing about 62 percent absentee ballots with about 38 percent voting in-person.

VandenBerg said the city has mailed out about 6,000 ballots with 2,400 having been returned.

“While right now mail is feeling OK, but as we get closer to election day, I will be getting more and more inclined to encourage voters to come visit us,” VandenBerg said. The city has a dropbox located at City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW, or bring the ballot to the clerk’s office in city hall.

The clerk’s office also will be hosting a public voting test at 9 a.m. July 26 in the council chambers at city hall. Area residents can see how ballots are tabulated and the process for counting ballots.

City of Kentwood

If returning absentee ballots by mail, Kentwood City Clerk Dan Kasunic recommends putting it in the mail by Monday, July 25 to ensure a timely delivery for the August election.

Residents also can hand-deliver absentee ballots to the Clerk’s Office at Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, during regular business hours or use one of the 24-hour drop boxes located outside City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, and the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE.

The City Clerk’s Office, located in City Hall, will be open for voter registration and absentee ballot requests from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 30.

More information about the Aug. 2 election, absentee ballots and voter registration is available at kentwood.us/elections.

Michigan law regarding primary ballots requires voters to cast votes for only one party’s candidates. Votes for candidates in multiple parties on the same ballot will not be counted.

Absentee ballot request data shows more than 1.1 million Michigan citizens have now requested their ballots, and the vast majority have already received them. A side-by-side comparison of current absentee ballot request numbers, compared to the same time ahead of the 2018 statewide primary, is below. A breakdown of the numbers by jurisdiction is available online.

	14 Days Before Election Day(July 18, 2022)	14 Days Before Election Day(July 23, 2018)
Number of Applications Received	1,167,369	588,909
Number of Ballots Issued	1,163,659	589,042*
Number of Ballots Returned	398,756	260,017

The Michigan Voter Information Center at Michigan.gov/Vote provides important information for voters ahead of Election Day, including a sample ballot and information about how to use voting equipment, and how to contact your local clerk.

*The number of ballots issued is greater than the number of applications received as it represents all ballots issued, including replacement ballots for those who requested to spoil their first.

Legacy matters, says GVSU keynote speaker

October 6, 20163-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, Education, Hard News, Local Faces, Our Cities, PoliticsBlack Lives Matter, Civic Assembly, Ferguson, Grand Valley State University, GVSU, keynote speaker, legacy matters, Leighton Walton, Leighton Watson, politics, President Obama, Victoria Mullen, White HouseJoanne

howardsprotest — The photo that helped launch a legacy – ‘Hands Up’

By Victoria Mullen

WKTV

At the age of 23, Grand Rapids native Leighton Watson is striving to leave a legacy that matters, and he is confident that his life path is on target to achieve that goal.

Watson was in Grand Rapids Sept. 26 to share with Grand Valley State University students the importance of finding solutions to social injustice within each community. The former student body president of Howard University was the keynote speaker for a presentation called ‘The Power of Student Voices,’ a component of GVSU’s Student Assembly Week. The purpose of the assembly was to encourage students to actively engage in conversation about social and political issues and have their voices heard.

Leighton Watson

Although he is active in addressing the issues of Civil Rights and social injustice, Watson says he doesn’t think of himself as an ‘activist.’

“I’d rather be called a human being,” he said. “Everyone wants to put you in a box and label you. I’m an American.”

Watson’s current life path crystallized during his senior year of college, around the time of the Ferguson riots. Deeply disturbed by the increasing civil unrest and injustice, he gathered fellow students for a photo, ‘Hands Up’ (as in ‘don’t shoot’). He also traveled to Ferguson to see the situation firsthand.

“You can’t prescribe a remedy for a situation you don’t know about,” Watson said.

Meanwhile, the ‘Hands Up’ image rapidly went viral on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and CNN took notice. The station invited him to the studio to share his views and possible remedies for civic unrest.

“We don’t have to wait until we get to the point of Ferguson,” he said. “A lot of the same symptoms are happening now in other cities, but people don’t realize it until things blow up. If America was what it’s supposed to be, what it says on paper, you’d never have the movement, women’s rights, etc. I still think that there is a gap and that means there’s work for me and us to close that gap.”

After seeing Watson’s CNN appearance — and impressed with his proactive approach to identifying solutions (rather than simply pointing out the problems) — the White House invited him to Washington to be a part of a task force on policing.

“The President asked me what I wanted him to do about Ferguson,” said Watson. “There is no national solution to this issue. It’s something that must be addressed state by state, local government by local government — it has to happen on a local level.”

Since then, Watson has kept busy visiting communities across the country to talk to school children and organizations, discussng concerns and organizing movements. He stresses the importance of preparation and solution-finding, even at the middle school level.

“And I say to middle-schoolers, ‘You have to be prepared to answer the question. Preparation is an ongoing process; you must be prepared to meet the president in that moment.'”

gvsu-talk-leighton — Watson addressing GVSU students (Photo courtesy of GVSU

Watson learned the importance of legacy from his grandfather, who started the Section 8 Housing Authority in South Bend, Indiana. Years after his death, people remember and speak very highly of him.

“I was about four years old when he died,” said Watson. “My grandpa taught me that achievement is not a resting place, it’s a trampoline.

“Fifty years from now, history will have written about this time, that these police shootings happened. The question I’ll have to answer my grandchildren is, ‘Grandpa, where were you when this happened?’ And I’ll want to answer that question confidently, that I did do something about it.

“Legacy is important. What you do with your time is important,” said Watson. “I want to look back on my life and be confident about what I did with my time.”

Marge’s Donut Den to host ‘Coffee with The Candidates’ on July 27

July 27, 2016Citizen Journalismcoffee with the candidates, Marge's Donut Den, politics, primary, Victoria MullenJoanne

Coffee with The Candidates Phase II is Wednesday evening, July 27th from 5-8 pm.

With the August 2 primary election just around the corner, we ask you this: Who are the candidates for Judge? Who is running in the local city commissioners’ race in the August primary? What about State Reps?

No clue?

Fear not. There’s still time to get informed, and here’s a great way to meet the people who are running for office. Don’t miss your chance to hear directly from the candidates and come face-to-face with our future, six days prior to the August 2 primary election. And be sure to bring family and friends with you.

Marge Wilson will provide her world-famous Marge’s Donut Den‘s cake, donuts, ice cream and other awesome and amazing goodies courtesy of her 41-year local business.

“It’s a great way to get informed,” said Marge Wilson, who got the idea for Coffee with the Candidates from the Chamber of Commerce. “Nobody speaks or makes a speech. Just come in and meet the people who are running for office. At the first meeting, I learned so much about the county clerk office. Before, I had no idea what the position involved. It was really interesting.”

Everybody is welcome to attend and all candidates are invited.

You’ll meet Stan Ponstein, Curt Benson, Thomas P. Murray Jr., Joe Rossi, Marissa Postler, Thurston Willoughby, Rusty Richter, Tommy Brann, Jon Hess, Christopher Reader, Rachel Hood, Dana Knight, Deborah Myers McNabb, and maybe even more!