promises kept
It has been a busy six years planning and executing transformational projects in Holland. I need your support to continue the significant advances we are making toward meeting our challenges, taking advantage of our opportunities and living up to our highest aspirations so every person in Holland can exclaim, “And We Get To Live Here!”
We are working for a bright future - Together.
our greatest challenge: housing
Your city council has been providing incentives to builders to build the homes Holland wants and needs at all price points.
Since I was elected Mayor, we have approved more than 1200 new housing units, including over one-third affordable and have hundreds completed and currently under construction. To ensure a strong, vibrant economy we must continue to connect our essential workers and young professionals to the community they want to call home, building strong, welcoming neighborhoods for the success of Holland.
Homelessness is a unique challenge for a city like Holland. The City does not directly provide housing or social services, and homelessness is not a crime. Parks, by design, were made for loitering. But it cannot be ignored. I have been working with a team of leaders from every sector of our community on a collaborative action plan called PROJECT HOME to address homelessness in the greater Holland/Zeeland area. We have already taken the first steps to create a welcoming, thriving community of excellence where any form of homelessness is rare, safe, short, and unrepeated.
OUR BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY: WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
Developers have put forth a proposal to connect the community to our waterfront for the review and approval by City Council. 62.5% of City of Holland voters approved a ballot proposal to allow City Council to take the next step to negotiate the sale of the property and work through the details of the proposed development.
While you may not see visible signs of progress, we continue to work with the developers, land owners, and the state and federal government to move the process forward. As with any major project (especially one involving state and federal government) progress is slow, but it is moving forward.
Your City Council will assure that any proposed development aligns with the results of our five-year community outreach process and the Vision for the Waterfront and city residents will have ample opportunity to review and comment on any proposed plan. Full details of that process and updated information can be found at WaterfrontHolland.org
OUR HIGHEST ASPIRATION: CELEBRATE THE VALUE OF EVERYONE WHO CALLS HOLLAND HOME
Holland is a rich tapestry of people and cultures. During my first year as Mayor your City Council enacted a comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinance protecting everyone in Holland from discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations.
Holland’s future success relies on our continued commitment to welcome and value our increasingly diverse population. As Holland’s Mayor, that commitment will always start with me.
OUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT.
I need your support to continue leading to a bright future as Holland’s Mayor. I want to continue to serve this wonderful community as we honor the best of our history and prepare for the future. Together, we will continue to do the hard work necessary to make our plans and dreams a reality.
ENCOURAGE SMART INVESTMENT
During my time as Mayor, Holland has seens over $3 billion dollars of new commercial investment and the creation of hundreds of new jobs. New businesses, large and small are opening and expanding. Our community is thriving.
I want to continue to support local businesses and promote investment, attracting and retaining a resilient workforce, strengthening our economic future.
CONNECT EVERY RESIDENT TO THE FUTURE
The people of Holland worked together to approve the expansion of our high-speed, low-cost fiber internet to every home in Holland. Our top-rated, local Board of Public Works has now run fiber past over 50% of the addresses in the city and is already providing 2GB service for $45 per month. That is twice the speed for half the cost we thought! Reliable, low cost broadband will support our workers and students. It will attract the best businesses, employees, and entrepreneurs to keep our future bright.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP
Holland’s Community Energy Plan helped make us the “Greenest City in the State of Michigan” As Mayor, I appointed a dynamic team of community leaders to update the plan and provide meaningful, measurable, achievable, and affordable recommendations for the future.
Your City Council unanimously approved the recommended updates to the plan. We are now working alongside residents, businesses and industry to implement the new plan that will allow us to achieve our goals 10 years sooner than before!
We have already appointed a new team to reevaluate the plan, look at new opportunities and new goals to make sure we are doing the best we can in an ever changing environment.
Collaborative leadership
Our greater community faces challenges that extend beyond our city boundaries. It is imperative that leaders of all sectors work together to address the broad issues and not only look to create solutions to problems but also for ways to improve the region for all of us.
I am proud to be the Chair of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, and to participate in other regional collaborative efforts to address the larger issues that can best be resolved by working together.
