WEST OLIVE, Michigan (LifeSiteNews) — One of the most conservative counties in the state of Michigan has doubled down on its unwavering support for parental rights, throwing local media outlets into a frenzy.
On Tuesday last week, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, which represents roughly 300,000 Michiganians, voted overwhelmingly, 9-2, in favor of a resolution that requires parents to be better informed about their options for school and daycare vaccination mandates.
Led by Chairman Joe Moss, commissioners passed the “Resolution on Childhood Vaccine Waivers for School and Childcare.” The measure doesn’t create new policies but simply strengthens already existing laws by requiring authorities to more clearly promote medical, ethical, or religious exemptions for children.
The resolution was needed, Moss told LifeSite yesterday, because the Ottawa County Department of Public Health has repeatedly failed to properly educate parents about their right to shield their sons and daughters from vaccines.
“There have been a ton of social media ads by our health department promoting vaccines as we head into the new school year. But none includes language about how parents have the right to exemptions,” Moss said via phone. “This measure was needed to ensure parents are better informed.”
Ottawa County Administrative Health Officer Adeline Hambley has been a thorn in the side of Moss and his pro-medical freedom colleagues since they rode into office on a tidal wave of support in 2022, as reported by LifeSite at the time.
Earlier this year, Hambley filed a lawsuit against the county after commissioners sought to replace her. A judge in nearby Muskegon sided with her, and she remained in her role, but a state appeals court panel vacated that ruling this summer.
Perhaps sensing her dismissal is imminent, Hambley attacked Moss as well as Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs earlier this week by telling liberal local media outlets that they were slashing the county’s medical budget to a level that will endanger people’s lives.
Gibbs as well as Moss debunked her baseless claims in public statements, noting that they are simply wanting to return to pre-pandemic spending amounts.
It’s time for public health to focus on meeting the needs of the people, rather than creating public panic.https://t.co/xgICdWdYKB
— Sylvia Leigh Rhodea (@SylviaRhodea) August 29, 2023
Despite that, NBC affiliate WOOD TV8 as well as MLive.com recklessly reported on Hambley’s deceptive argument in a way that made it seem the health department was going to close in a matter of weeks. MLive previously characterized Moss and his colleagues as a “far right faction.”
Moss and seven other candidates backed by Ottawa Impact PAC, including co-founder Sylvia Leigh Rhodea, were first elected last fall. Thanks to a strong pro-family and pro-faith platform, they ousted multiple incumbent moderate Republicans, several of whom supported COVID lockdowns.
The landslide Moss and his fellow freedom warriors received clearly gave them a mandate to pass conservative policies that their constituents have long desired. At their first meeting, commissioners eliminated the county’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office. Since then, they’ve enacted a laundry list of other anti-woke measures.
West Michigan media has relentlessly attacked them ever since. According to watchdog SimplyAmerican.com, local news outlets have run more than 75 hit pieces on the commissioners, with Holland Sentinel reportedly publishing the most.
That paper’s activist executive editor, Sarah Leach – who allegedly belongs to a left-wing Facebook group specifically formed to oppose Moss’ PAC – has described Ottawa Impact as a “far-right fundamentalist” organization in her biased reporting.
On X, formerly Twitter, Leach has also repeatedly ridiculed medical freedom voices, and has pushed Big Pharma talking points about the abortion-tainted COVID shot, which has been linked to sudden death, myocarditis, pregnancy complications, and blood clots.
Calling it “local news” is like calling Coca-Cola a “local drink” just because it’s sold here. Learn who controls your media: https://t.co/c6nFmJOavD@Gannett @HollandSentinel @ghtribune @WOODTV @FOX17 @wzzm13 @TEGNA
— Joe Moss (@RealJoeMoss) August 28, 2023
Moss told LifeSite that he and his fellow elected officials are undeterred in the face of media attacks and that they will continue to defend parental rights, uphold Christian values, and pass conservative policies.