John Gibbs

Election Denier

Trump-backed Michigan congressional candidate John Gibbs falsely claims 2020 election had ‘mathematically impossible’ anomalies

reported by CNN July 1st, 2022

Gibbs supports this claim saying Trump won bellweather counties and gained votes in the 2020 re-election, but still lost. Not only is this statistically possible but Trump was the fourth incumbent to have this happen though the first in more than a century.

Qualifications

According to Ottawa County resident Fred Van Antwerp, a government specialist with 35 years of experience, John Gibbs lacks required qualifications to be county administrator. Starry eyed commissioners repeatedly declared Gibbs is over qualified for the job because of his four years of prior federal government experience. The assumption being the same experience and skills in a federal position are identical to what is needed or required for the county administrator position.

From the job description of Ottawa County administrator, the following requirements are mandatory:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in public administration, public policy, planning, business or related field.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible local government leadership.
• Experience must include at least five years as a chief administrative officer or assistant chief administrative officer of a local government of similar size and complexity to Ottawa County; preferably county government with significant experience interacting with elected officials and other stakeholder groups.
• Experience work with diverse departments, including law enforcement, courts, public health, mental health and park systems.
• Have strong financial and asset management skills including significant experience in capital improvements planning.
• Knowledgeable in land-use planning, community and economic development, affordable housing and tourism.
• Have strong proven leadership and skills in union labor relations, and negotiations of collective-bargaining agreements.

Mr. Gibbs 20 years of employment history include four years in the federal government, about seven years of missionary work and the remaining years as a software engineer. The only conclusion that can be made is that the newly sworn in Ottawa Impact commissioners violated all appropriate hiring practices and made a political appointment in replacing John Shay with John Gibbs.

Expense

Mr. Gibbs comes with a price tag. Not only will Ottawa County pay severance costs ($210K plus 12 months health benefits) for firing John Shay without cause, but Mr. Gibbs requires a senior executive aide (salary of $81K), a position Administrator Shay never filled. Recently Gibbs boosted the Communications Manager position to Communications Director (additional $20K for a total of $150K) and has stated that he intends to create an entire communications department.

Inappropriate Behavior

Gibbs is under investigation for a threatening behavior complaint filed in March by Commissioner Bonnema. Overheard by an ABC affiliate reporter, saying Get out of my face, in a threatening outburst. Gibbs has been uncooperative with Bonnema who recently severed his relationship with Ottawa Impact.

There is obvious tension between Ottawa Impact commissioners who continue to vote as a block, and the other two non-aligned commissioners, Zylstra and Bonnema.

Extremist Partisanship

Is failed congressional candidate John Gibbs slumming it in Ottawa County until he can make another run at the House? Ottawa Impact commissioners clearly chose him for his ability to deliver extremist partisan politics to Ottawa County, something they probably could not have coerced out of John Shay.

Ottawa Impact supporters are quick to defend both the Ottawa Impact commissioners and John Gibbs. There was already a Republican majority on the county board of commissioners before the Ottawa Impact takeover, so this is not about Republican versus Democrat. Ottawa Impact founder Joe Moss and co-founder Sylvia Rhodea are determined to use Ottawa County as a spring board for divisive partisan politics and have used the pandemic mandates as an excuse to fuel those flames.

The question now for Ottawa County residents is if the cost and emotional turmoil of this kind of partisan politics helps the county provide services, or is it just a distraction forced upon us by political extremists determined to make a name for themselves?