SN 1-8-2022

The Sun and News, Saturday, January 8, 2022/ Page 5

Barry County board picks leadership team

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
The leadership team for the
Barry County Board of
Commissioners will remain the
same this year as it was last year.
At its organizational meet-
ing on Monday, the board
reappointed Commissioner
Ben Geiger as board chairman
for the second consecutive
year, and retained
Commissioner Vivian Conner
as vice chairwoman.
Geiger, whose district
includes the villages of
Nashville and Woodland,
Castleton and Woodland
townships and portions of
Carlton and Hastings Charter
townships, is in his sixth two-
year term on the county board.
Conner, whose district
includes Orangeville and
Prairieville townships as well
as the portion of Yankee
Springs Township south of
M-179, is in her fifth term.
All seven current county
commission seats are up for
re-election this November, and
there will be an eighth board
position added to the ballot this
year after the county apportion-
ment commission last year
approved a new districting map
that gives the city of Hastings
its own seat on the board.

Commissioners also

approved committee assign-

ments for this year.

Those assignments are, as

follows:

Area Community Services

and Training Council

(ACSET): Geiger.

Airport Commission:

Conner and Jon Smelker.

Animal Shelter Advisory

Board: Dave Jackson.

Area Agency on Aging:

Conner.

Barry Community Resource

Network: Howard Gibson

Barry County Transit:

Gibson and Smelker.

Barry-Eaton District Health

Department Board: Geiger,

Catherine Getty and Bruce

Campbell. (Getty and

Campbell replaced Smelker

and Jackson on this board.)

Board of Public Works:

Conner, Smelker and Campbell.

Broadband Expansion

Committee: Getty.

Brownfield Redevelopment

Authority: Jackson.

Central Dispatch

Administration: Smelker.

Commission on Aging:

Geiger.

Community Action

Agency: Campbell.

Community Corrections

Advisory Board: Gibson.

Community Mental Health

Authority: Smelker (replaced

Getty).

Conservation District:

Conner.

Conservation Easement

Board: Campbell.

Department of Human

Services: Campbell.

Economic Development

Alliance: Jackson.

Grievance Board: Getty,

Gibson and Jackson.

Gun Lake Improvement

Board: Conner.

Hastings Local Development

Finance Authority: Gibson.

Joint Planning Alliance:

Jackson.

Jordan Lake Board: Geiger.

Judicial Council/Security

Committee: Geiger.

Local Emergency Planning

Committee: Geiger (chairman).

Middleville Local

Development Finance

Authority: Getty.

MSU Extension District 7

Advisory Council: Geiger.

Parks and Recreation

Commission: Getty.

Solid Waste Oversight:

Conner and Jackson (replaced

Campbell).

Southwest Michigan

Behavioral Health Board:

Geiger

Tax Allocation Board:

Jackson.

West Michigan Regional

Planning Commission: Getty.

Board of Commissioners

meetings are slated for the

second and fourth Tuesdays

of the month at 9 a.m., with

committee of the whole meet-

ings at 9 a.m. on the first and

third Tuesdays of the month.

Unless otherwise posted, the

meetings take place in the

commissioner chambers on

the mezzanine level in the

county courthouse, 220 W.

State St.

Keith Dale Kooiman Sr.,

age 94, of Middleville,

passed away on January 5,

2022 at his home with his

wife of 71 years holding his

hand and children surround-

ing him.

Keith was born on

September 23, 1927 in

Lowell to Martin and Mona

(Crakes) Kooiman. Keith

worked at General Motors in

the maintenance department

for 30 years before retiring

in 1989.He was also a farm-

er, which was his true pas-

sion, raising beef cattle and

selling hay.

Keith was a man of Christ

and faith played an important

role in his life. He was a mem-

ber of the First Baptist Church

of Middleville for 55 years. He

loved going to the Barry

County Fair and the Ionia Free

Fair where he could be found

at the tractor pulls with his

children and grandchildren.

The animal, hay and straw

auctions at the Wayland

Stockyards were a favorite.

He had many other hobbies

including deer hunting, going

to the “boat shows” at the

Gun Lake Docks, watching

the planes at the airport, and

driving around the neighbor-

hood on his Kawasaki Mule.

Keith could often be found

wearing his signature favorite

blue robe all around.

He will be remembered for

his deep care for others, his

sense of humor, and his

quirky sayings and nick-

names.

He will be dearly missed

by his loving wife, Joanne

(Bullen) Kooiman; children,

Darla Whitney, Kim (Tom)

Peterson, Teresa (Terry)

Steenhagen, Luke (Becky)

Kooiman, Julia (Ed)

Rumbergs; daughter-in-law,

Deana Kooiman; grandchil-

dren, Michele, Stacia, Jami

(Luke #2), Michael (Lacey),

Lori (Ben), Erica (Daniel),

Dayna (Carl), Michael

(Diana), Michelle, Resa,

William, Rachel, Stephanie,

Nathan, John, Ethan; 23

great grandchildren; three

great-great grandchildren;

brother, Martin “Bud”

Kooiman; several nieces,

nephews, cousins, and loving

extended family and friends.

He was preceded in death

by his parents; son, Keith

Jr.; siblings: Richard

Kooiman, Edward Kooiman,

Gert Vormittag, Elinor

Kruger, Donald Kooiman.

Relatives and friends may

meet with the family on

Monday, Jan. 10, 2022 from 4

to 7 p.m. at the First Baptist

Church in Middleville where

a funeral service will be held

on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 at

11 a.m. with Pastor Wesley

Smith and Pastor Nick

Boonstra officiating. Private

burial will take place at Mt.

Hope Cemetery.

Please visit http://www.beeler-

goresfuneral.com to share a

memory or leave a condo-

lence message for Keith’s

family.

Keith Dale Kooiman Sr.

TK students picked for Aquinas

College Honor Band

Sixteen Thornapple Kellogg High School band students were selected to be part of the Aquinas College

High School Honor Band this fall. Students visited the campus, learned new music while working with college

directors and band students, and met other high school band students from around the state. Shown, in front

from left, are: Emma Thompson, Audrey Guikema, Tessa Wenger, Journie Scheltema, Lainey Guikema,

Madeline McCrumb, Jenni Logan, Josie Smith; in back row from left are: Carly Postma, Lane Kaminski, Lylla

Peters, Travis Barton, Aaron Michalk, Haden Bovee, Zach Maring, Natalie Alden.  (Photo provided)

Kent County board has new leadership

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

For the first time in four

years, the Kent County Board

of Commissioners has a new

chairman.

Commissioner Stan Stek,

whose District 6 includes the

northwest side of Grand

Rapids and the city of Walker,

was appointed the new board

chairman at an organizational

meeting on Monday. He

replaces Commissioner

Mandy Bolter, who had

chaired the board for the past

three years.

“I look forward to working

together to maintain our strong

fiscal position, improve resi-

dents’ quality of life, enhance

the overall delivery of ser-

vices, and ensure continued

economic growth for the

region,” Stek said.

An attorney at Miller

Canfield, Stek has served on

the county board since 2014.

Bolter’s District 5 includes

the northern half of Caledonia

Township as well as the town-

ships of Bowne, Lowell and

Cascade. She has served on

the board since 2014.

Commissioner Emily Post

Brieve, whose District 10

includes Gaines Township, the

village of Caledonia and the

southern half of Caledonia

Township, was elected vice

chairwoman. She also will

serve as chairwoman of the

board’s Legislative and

Human Resources Committee.

Brieve works for her fami-

ly’s small busi-

ness, FastoolNow.com, selling

construction and industrial

tools and supplies. She cur-

rently is chairwoman of the

Board of Public Works and

Community Health Advisory

committees and is a member

of the Gerald R. Ford

International Airport

Authority, Grand Rapids

Public Museum, and West

Michigan Sports Commission.

Commissioner Diane Jones,

of District 4, will continue to

serve in her role as chairwom-

an of the Finance and Physical

Resources Committee.

“We have a strong board

and an incredible community,

and we are committed to sup-

porting the prosperity of our

businesses and residents,”

Stek said. “We look forward to

tackling the challenges ahead

with fiscal responsibility,

innovation, and collabora-

tion.”

Barry County commis-

sioners met Monday

morning in an organiza-

tional session to start the

year by selecting board

leaders. Chairman Ben

Geiger and Vice

Chairwoman Vivian

Conner were returned to

their leadership roles in

unanimous votes by fel-

low commissioners.

(Photo by Rebecca Pierce)