(Olive Township, MI) – The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners has voted 7-to-4 to get rid of the county’s “Where Freedom Rings” motto. It was adopted in January 2023 by the then-Ottawa Impact-dominated board along with eliminating the county’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department. Watch full meeting here.
Public comment did not hold back. Joel Buck of Georgetown Township:
Each Commissioner was given the chance to speak. Commissioner and Vice Chair Josh Brugger spoke used the words of Martin Luther King Jr. when he spoke:
Board Chairman John Teeples says the motto was divisive and it needed to go. The board voted 9-2 against a proposal by Commissioner Moss to adopt “In God We Trust” as the official county motto. The phrase, which is the national motto of the United States, drew discussion but ultimately did not gain majority support.
Several commissioners suggested that any decision about a new county motto should be addressed during the county’s strategic planning process. However, no timeline has been set for when that process will begin.
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