Jordan Jorritsma is running to be an Ottawa County commissioner in District 2. In December 2022, he was one of three individuals who sued the Ottawa County Republican Party Executive Committee, effectively draining their bank account and forcing a redo of the convention to elect members of the executive committee.
On December 1, 2022, newly elected patriotic precinct delegates met to elect members of the Ottawa County Republican Party Executive Committee (EC). That convention saw sweeping changes to the leadership of the EC. Of the twenty-four members elected to the Executive Committee, many had never been involved in politics before, and all were elected with an overwhelming supermajority [2/3rds sweeping vote]. Those elected to the EC had administrative and business experience. Many had accounting experience, communications, and public speaking experience.
Most of the new Executive Committee members, and the precinct delegates who elected them, were just like you and me. They had grown frustrated at government overreach during lockdowns and had grown weary of the passivity exhibited by elected officials over the past two decades. Many wrote emails and made repeated phone calls to their elected officials, including school-board members, county commissioners, and health department personnel. They expressed their concerns constantly regarding the arbitrary and punitive nature of lockdowns. In return, they received little to no response or action from elected officials throughout Ottawa County. Out of this frustration, they each decided, if not me, then who?
Two weeks after the original legally-conducted convention (statute/s. MCL 168:599) and during the County GOP Christmas party on December 15, 2022, notification was given to the newly elected Executive Committee that a complaint had been filed in Ottawa County Circuit Court challenging the validity and results of the convention. Instead of consulting with the newly elected Executive Committee, the Interim Chair of the Ottawa County Executive Committee retained a lawyer and then proceeded to enter into an agreement with the three plaintiffs to invalidate and remove the newly elected Executive Committee, nullifying the supermajority vote of the precinct delegates. An agreement was reached without notice to the newly-elected Executive Committee, stripping them of due process.
In contrast to the convention, Executive Committee meetings follow a set of bylaws written by the Executive Committee, as well as long-established customs. The Ottawa County Convention was not an Executive Committee meeting. It was a County Convention run by the delegates. Despite established convention rules and customs, the plaintiffs claimed the delegates were supposed to have followed the Executive Committee bylaws. In addition, the complaint wanted the convention to break up into regions and elect Executive Committee members for each region.
To overturn the fraudulent usurping of power by the former Interim Chair, approximately $20,000 was raised to pursue legal action. The newly elected Executive Committee filed a third-party complaint which requested the judge:
Nullify the agreement reached by the Interim Chair and the plaintiffs.
Recognize the Executive Committee elected on December 1, 2022 by the precinct delegates of Ottawa County.
Remove the Interim Chair because he breached his fiduciary duty.
Compel the Interim Chair to turn over the website passwords, bank accounts, delegate email lists, and related information to the duly elected Executive Committee.
Order the Interim Chair to turn over all communication between himself and the lawyer who purportedly represented the Executive Committee that the delegates voted for on December 1, 2022.
On January 6, 2023, the judge ordered a redo convention to be overseen by the Michigan Republican Party, scheduled for January 16, 2023. The judgment effectively removed the newly-elected Executive Committee from office and disenfranchised the supermajority of precinct delegates. Nonetheless, the redo convention convened and it was another resounding success for those patriots on their mission to restore the Ottawa County Republican Party back to the original party platform, aligning with the United States Constitution.
Ultimately, the precinct delegates did not split up into regions to vote, although the apportioned regions were represented by eight executive member candidates each respectively, of the North, Southeast and Southwest. As has been the case in nearly every Executive Committee election from 2010 to 2020, the vote was taken by the entire delegation. The regions were presented to the entire body, one at a time. The exact same people were challenged which resulted in the exact same Executive Committee members being chosen, with the exception of one. In the end, the redo proved a big headache and was frivolous, wasting important resources.
Ottawa County now has an executive committee that is leading the fight for election integrity and accountability of elected representatives. After an establishment-induced six-week delay, the new Executive Committee got to work. If you live in Ottawa County District 2, remember county commissioner candidate Jordan Jorrtisma was one of the three individuals that sued the Ottawa County EC, costing precious time and money.
The Founding Fathers set up our governmental system to be a bottom-up system, not a top-down system. The members of this Executive Committee and many new Precinct Delegates understand this. Perhaps it’s the same reason the establishment fought so hard with court filings and delays. Perhaps they don’t want Ottawa County citizens to realize how much power the American voice has.