Grand Rapids MI Politics & Civic News — Page 6
Covering Grand Rapids City Council, Kent County Council, Michigan Legislature, and your federal representatives in Washington, D.C. Accountability journalism for Kent County residents.
Kent County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Kent County Council, Grand Rapids City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.
Kent’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI District 3) and Senators Gary C. Peters and Elissa Slotkin.
Kent County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Grand Rapids Police Department budget run through Grand Rapids City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the Michigan Legislature. The Kent County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under MI Election Commission oversight.
HEREGrandRapids covers Kent County Council meetings, Grand Rapids City Council sessions, Michigan Legislature session, federal delegation votes and town halls, school board meetings, and candidate filing windows. We also pull FOIA-sourced travel records and contracts at both the city and county level. If it shapes how Kent County is governed, it’s HERE.
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Grand Rapids Speaks
What do you think: Troy Jackson Ousts Susan Collins in Maine Senate Race?
What do you think: Democrats Win Back the Senate and House in Midterm Sweep?
Local & State Political News
Your Grand Rapids Reps
Every official with a vote on Grand Rapids's future — pulled live from our roster.
Quick Resources
Grand Rapids is in Kent County, Michigan. Mayor: David LaGrand; City Manager: Mark Washington.
Latest Grand Rapids Politics News — Page 6
Outside Money Tops $18M in Arizona Race for Feely, Shah Seat
PHOENIX — Outside groups have poured roughly $18.8 million into the general election fight for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, one of the state's two most competitive House seats,…
Trump Rallies for Hinson in Sioux City
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — President Donald Trump rallied more than a thousand supporters in Sioux City on Thursday night, pressing Iowans to back Republican Ashley Hinson in a…
UP, Northern Michigan Fire Crews Get $2.1M in FEMA Grants
LANSING, Mich. — A dozen fire departments and townships across the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan are getting more than $2.1 million in federal money for breathing gear,…
Kent County Buys Downtown Tower for Prosecutor in Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County will spend $18.5 million on an eight-story office tower in downtown Grand Rapids and plans to make it the new home of…
Federal Election Monitors Headed to Grand Rapids Polls
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids voters may see federal observers at their polling places on Nov. 3, after the U.S. Department of Justice notified the city that…
Russia Frees Jailed Michigan Man After Trump Appeal to Putin
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russia on Wednesday freed an American from Michigan who had been held since the spring of 2022 on charges that he fought as a…
Kagan Says Court Election Rulings Have Hurt Democracy
WASHINGTON — Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday faulted the conservative majority on the Supreme Court for a run of election decisions she said have pushed the country further…
North Korea Orders Border Troops to Hit Back
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has instructed soldiers along its southern frontier to respond swiftly and forcefully if South Korean forces endanger them, state media reported Wednesday,…
Nearly 790,000 Michigan Voters Have Already Cast Ballots
LANSING, Mich. — With two weeks to go before the Nov. 3 general election, 789,572 Michigan voters had already turned in a ballot as of Tuesday morning, the…
Michigan Proposal 1 Puts Constitutional Convention on Ballot
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to open the state constitution to a full rewrite, and a bipartisan coalition is working to defeat…
Michigan Legislature Control Hinges
LANSING, Mich. — Both chambers of the Michigan Legislature are up for grabs on Nov. 3, and the outcome will shape what the next governor, either Democrat Jocelyn…
Fifteen Candidates Chase Five Grand Rapids School Board Seats
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Voters in Grand Rapids will sort through a long list of names this fall, as 15 people compete for five four-year spots on the…
