Ward 1
Kelly Ten Harmsel

My name is Kelly Ten Harmsel and I am a candidate for Ward 1 City Commissioner. I have lived in Hudsonville all of my life (43 years). I have worked at Grand Rapids Metal Fabrication as a Die Maker for 21 years. My wife and I have three boys, one in middle school, and two in elementary school. We are members of Georgetown Christian Reformed Church, where I serve as a Cadet Counselor. In my spare time, I enjoy fishing in the spring and summer and hunting in the fall.
Hudsonville is a wonderful city to live in, and I want to get involved in working with others to make decisions that shape the future of our city. I think we need to be cautious about new spending to avoid budget problems, and if possible, reduce taxes. I would value resident’s input and concerns and would bring them to the City Commission, if elected.

I have chosen to run for City Commissioner to serve the community. Our city is a great place to live and work. I want to keep it that way.
My wife and I moved to Hudsonville in 1986. Mc Donald’s was just going up and everything else there was farmland. The city had not annexed across the highway yet and we had no local grocery store. We lived on Cleveland court until 5 years ago when we bought our house on New Holland Street.
I own O’Brien Insurance Agency on Kelly Street, an independent insurance agency representing about 12 insurance companies. We do all forms of insurance and have 2 full time and 2 part time employees. All are licensed agents. I have been in the insurance industry for 21 years. We are members of the Hudsonville Chamber of commerce, the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents, and the National Association of Health Underwriters.
I am a board member of Catholic Social Services serving Ottawa County. When my son was in Scouting and for a few years afterwards I served in many positions for the local Cub Scouts. Over 5 years I spent my vacation running 6 cub Scout Day Camps and helped work on three others. I received the District Award of Merit for the Lighthouse District (Ottawa County) in 1998. I am a member of Economic Club of Grand Rapids.
Incorporating and hiring my staff has changed the way I look at our state and federal government. This year I changed my party affiliation to the Republican Party.
I believe enablement is more important than entitlement. I believe most issues should be solved at the local level of government. Communities should decide what services are provided to their citizens. When serving on the County Commissioner Redistricting Committee, I was the deciding vote to lower the number of commissioners from 13 to 11. Over a decade, this change will save county taxpayers more than $250,000 in benefits with no change of services provided to residents.
Our city commission and city employees have done a good job providing services and keeping costs in line with our income so we do not have to cut services like so many of our neighboring communities. That is a tradition I want to continue.

I have completed my appointed term as one of your City Commissioners for the Second Ward and will be running for the election to this position in November. What a learning experience it has been! From becoming familiar with the administration, the different departments, their responsibilities and functions, to becoming aware of the policies and procedures the City has in place for its day to day operation.
I have served on the board of the Gary Byker Memorial Library and the Department of Public Works, during this past year.
As a member of the Library Board, I am excited about our local library. More and more people are beginning to use our library. There are numerous programs and other resources available for our community just waiting to be discovered.
The Department of Public Works is responsible for the maintaining of our streets, sewer and municipal water services. Some of the water and sewer infrastructure has been in place for a long time and in the future may require replacement or extensive repair.
The Department of Public Works also maintains our city parks. Our parks are important for children to have a place to play and for all of us to connect with our neighborhood. Continual improvement to our parks might possibly be the best gift we can leave for future generations.
One of the concerns voiced at a recent Urban Smart Growth meeting was a desire to offer more community based programs that draw upon the arts. I would like to see our entire community make use of the recently purchased United Methodist Church for such creative opportunities or special events.
Hudsonville has seen many changes over the years. While supporting controlled development of business, I would still desire that our city keep the qualities of a small community. One where our residents feel secure that the character of our community is being protected and where it is safe and affordable place for raising their families.
I would ask for your vote of support in the up coming election for the Second Ward, on November 8

I have been a resident of Hudsonville for 19 years. My wife Deb and I have been married for 30 years. We have 3 sons, Josh, Ryan and Nathan. Currently I am involved in sales and business development. I have served on or currently serve on the following Boards and Committees: Finance (past Chairman), Public Safety (current Chairman), Personnel, Library (past Chairman), Parks & Ground (past Chairman) Act 198, Community Education and Street System Policy Review. I currently serve as Mayor Pro-tem.
As a Commissioner I continue to be committed to preserving the high moral community that Hudsonville has become. I strongly support the continuing discussions with our neighboring communities to explore ways in which we can share services to benefit all involved while providing ways to keep expenses as low as possible. I believe local governments must find new ways to work together in order to afford the level of services we have enjoyed in the past.
I am committed to furthering discussions about how we want Hudsonville to look 5 to 10 years in the future. What must we be doing now to continue to make Hudsonville a vibrant community in which to live in? I am excited to be involved in the Smart Growth process as our community explores ways to enhance the character and livability of Hudsonville. I believe the City must do all it can to strengthen our business community and to provide opportunities for new businesses to locate in Hudsonville.
I feel it is important for the City to provide leadership and be actively involved in marketing the benefits of locating their business in Hudsonville. I am very pleased that the City was able to work with a local developer to bring high quality housing opportunities for our senior citizens. I feel it is essential to have a community provide affordable housing ranging from our young people just starting their careers to our seniors at the end of theirs. I look forward to continuing my service to the City of Hudsonville.

There is no parking on streets between the hours of 2 a.m.—6 a.m. from November 1st through April 1st.

The City of Hudsonville has begun the process of redoing our Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance. We received a $100,000 grant from Ottawa County for this major undertaking.
We currently are working on the first step, which is the creation of a design elements portfolio. It will consist of an assortment of images that illustrate the type of architectural and aesthetic design elements that will be encouraged. Conceptual street layouts and building designs are going to be created based on the design elements that have been selected. Nederveld Associates is working on this project along with Michigan State University from whom we also received a grant.

Public participation is desired, so we hope you can attend future meetings!