Far-right Republican wins District 11 Ottawa County board seat - mlive.com

Ottawa County commissioner, Allison Miedema, listens to public comment during the Ottawa County board committee meeting in West Olive, Michigan on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- Ottawa Impact-affiliated Republican Allison Miedema won the race for the District 11 seat on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.

The race featured Republican incumbent Miedema against Democrat Keith Courtade.

According to unofficial election results from Ottawa County, Miedema received 11,136 votes to Courtade’s 4,847 votes, a 39-point spread. As of 10:55 p.m. Tuesday, 20 of the 20 precincts in the district are fully reporting. Election results are not official until they are certified by the county Board of Canvassers.

District 11 covers the townships of Chester, Crockery, Polkton, Tallmedge and Wright, as well as the city of Coopersville.

Miedema, who is part of the ultra-conservative Ottawa Impact political platform that now controls a majority voting bloc on the board, defeated Sara Bajema and Richard VanDop in the August primary.

Miedema was a preschool teacher in both private and public schools for 21 years. She graduated from Grand Valley State University and has a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Courtade is a General Motors retiree and former Kent County commissioner.

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