District 18
The official Kent County publication for the new districts is at https://www.accesskent.com/Departments/BOC/pdfs/DistrictMaps/district18.pdf
Issues
Small Business Support
Assist the small business community in recovering and regrowth after the COVID-19 pandemic
Housing
Promote policies for the development of safe and affordable housing
Environment
Practice environmental stewardship by supporting policies that expand our recycling reach and continues to maintain clean water
Constitution First
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. Our founding fathers authored this excellent document "to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." This is my base of reasoning.
First Amendment Rights
The first Amendment guarantees freedoms of religious expression, the rights of individuals to speak freely, to assembly peaceably and the right to petition. I will work to protect these rights.
Second Amendment Rights
The second amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms. The Supreme Court affirmed that rights belong to the individual, the citizen, for self-defense. It shall not be infringed. This right must be protected as the authors of the Constitution intended.
Funding Our Sheriff
Support our law enforcement community by ensuring the Sheriff's Department is properly funded, keeping our neighborhoods safe
Pro-Life
I support all innocent human life which starts at conception. "Abortion and racism are both symptoms of a fundamental human error. The error is thinking that when someone stands in the way of our wants we can justify getting that person out of our lives. Abortion and racism stem from the same poisonous root, selfishness." -- Alveda King
Endorsed by Michigan Right To Life in 2020Fiscal Responsibility
Ensure the county government is spending taxpayer dollars responsibly and that it maintains the AAA bond rating.
Meet Josie
• Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from San Jose University and a Master’s Degree in Business Management from Aquinas College
• Resident of Grand Rapids for over 30 years
• Retired from the Grand Rapids Public School District in the financial and student records computer systems department
• Parishioner of Burton Baptist Church, where she teaches children’s church
• Volunteer for Voice of Animals Rescue, the Gilda’s Club Laughfest, Meijer Gardens, and the Native American Education Program
The Role of a County Commissioner
I am often asked what does a commissioner do… here is the answer:
• Approving a mission statement for the County
• Adopting the Annual County Budget. This includes approving the annual budgets of other, independently elected, County officials: the County Clerk, the Drain Commissioner, Judges of the 17th Circuit Court and 64rd District Court, the Prosecutor, and the Treasurer
• Raising the money to fund the County’s operations by levying property taxes, setting fees, selling bonds or borrowing
• Appointing County residents to serve on various County boards, commissions and committees, which provide oversight for significant County services. These include the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority Board, the Community Health Advisory Committee, the Community Mental Health Authority Board (Network180), the Road Commission, and the Veterans Services Committee
• Selecting a County Administrator/Controller to supervise the day-to-day operations of County departments.
• Determining the sites of County buildings, and purchasing or disposing of County-owned property and facilities
• Representing the County, and managing its property and business by adopting rules, regulations, ordinances and policies
KentContract.com
The Kent Contract Coalition is a group of everyday citizens of Kent County that have banded together to promote and restore a true government of the people, by the people, and for the people. They have asked candidates for Kent County Commissioner to review, sign, and abide by a contract, for which the public will hold them accountable for the promises made therein.
A summary of those promises are:
- Protect all Constitutional Freedoms
- Defend Life from Conception
- Oppose Critical Race Theory
- Guard Against Government Overreach
- Defend 2A Rights
- Demand Government Transparency
- Remove DEI Programs Locally
- Revise County Bylaws
I have signed this contract, and am honored to align with these same values of the Kent Contract Coalition.
For more information, visit KentContract.com.