Chris Kleinjans Statement on the District 2 Commissioners Race
Commissioner Kleinjans has called and congratulated Commissioner-Elect Jordan Jorritsma on his victory.
Kleinjans expressed his confidence in the integrity of the election and the Ottawa County Elections department. “I have absolute faith in the process from start to finish and I’m grateful to Justin Roebuck and the many election workers who ensure our free and fair elections,” said Kleinjans.
Kleinjans is grateful for the positive energy and feedback he received from his constituents as he personally knocked more than 3,200 doors over the past several months. He also expressed gratitude for the incredible output from his campaign committee, which helped to amplify his message of creating a community where everyone will have their best chance of success.
After catching up on some long-deferred time with his wife Sarah, his boys, and his amazing grandson, Kleinjans said he has every intention of extending the service-based mindset that has defined his life into a new phase, and helping to make the neighborhoods we call home thriving places where we all belong.
“I am grateful for everyone who supported me in this cycle as well as the May recall election,” said Kleinjans. “Your support created the spark that led to the collapse of Ottawa Impact in local politics at the board level. While I wish I could be at the table to repair the damage done, I’m nevertheless relieved their majority has been eliminated and other voices will be joining the conversation. Let’s remain diligent to the factors that led to this last period we’ve lived through and work to make a community where all are valued and supported.”
Kleinjans added that he looks forward to doing what he can over the next seven weeks to create a positive culture for Jorritsma once he assumes his duties.
It is impossible for me to express my gratitude to everyone who helped win this victory for District 2. The time and support that came from across Ottawa County and beyond has been humbling for me personally. But I am thrilled and inspired by the message our community sent to Ottawa Impact and the county GOP by our 20-point win last May.
We have a great deal to celebrate with our win, but there is still work to do.
Since December 2023, I have been hearing a common refrain: people want Ottawa County to go back to the way it was. But no future has ever been built by looking and working backwards. It is time to start thinking about what we want Ottawa County to look like in 2050 and what we need to do now to get there. The solutions to our challenges cannot be found in the past, especially as our community continues to grow.
We must look forward and address our housing shortage, our struggling road network, supporting our most vulnerable neighbors as they work to gain their footing, and continue to build our culturally vibrant community by ensuring equitable opportunity for our growing diversity. This was never going to be accomplished in the 8 short months that we won in the special election last May, but it laid a foundation for a board that is more reflective of the voices in the community and that can build a promising future for all of Ottawa County. And I would like to continue to be the voice that represents District 2.
I promised my community when I filed to run last May that I was in this for the long haul. That decision has come at personal cost to me, but I remain steadfast in that promise. I am committed to working hard to give voice to the most diverse, industrious, caring, and hardest working district in Ottawa County so that we can move Forward Together.
Learn more about where I stand on the issues that affect you.
Read Chris’s statement about his termination from MSU Extension.