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6 compete for 3 Grandville City Council seats - mlive.com

Randy Gelderloos is from Grandville, where he still lives today. He studied at Calvin University. He is married. Randy serves on the Kent County Waste to Energy Advisory Committee and is on the board of directors for The Rapid bus system.

Randy currently serves as a Grandville City Council member. He was first appointed to the council in 2006 and reelected in 2007. He is currently serving his fourth term.

Promises to keep taxes "as low as possible while providing quality services...". 

- Promises to keep taxes "as low as possible while providing quality services...". 

Economy

Plans to manage growth, maintain roads, and protect quality of life while keeping tax rates low.

Plans to manage growth, maintain roads, and protect resident quality of life. 

- Plans to manage growth, maintain roads, and protect resident quality of life. 

Housing & Urban Development

Believes in combating urban decay and investing in neighborhoods to maintain Grandville's vibrancy.

Supports addressing blight and strengthening neighborhoods so Grandville remains a vibrant and desirable place to live in the future. 

- Supports addressing blight and strengthening neighborhoods so Grandville remains a vibrant and desirable place to live in the future. 

Public Safety

As of August 14, 2025, Randy Gelderloos did not have a website or any information online.

Healthcare

Public Services

Energy & the Environment

Supports investing in infrastructure, including updating the park system and library.

Believes the city "must continue to invest" in local infrastructure, including updating the park system and library.

- Believes the city "must continue to invest" in local infrastructure, including updating the park system and library.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Randy Gelderloos

Randy is currently a Grandville City Council member. He was first appointed to the council in 2006 and reelected in 2007. He is currently serving his fourth term.

Buket Urgen

LinkedIn

Jason Flanigan holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He is a member of the Environmental Sustainability Committee. 

Jason is a senior mechanical engineer at Meijer Inc. He previously founded Weathered Road, an app that displays weather predictions along travel routes.

Jason currently serves as a Grandville City Council member. He was appointed in 2019 and is serving his first term. He previously served as a Grandville Planning Commissioner for 6 years. 

Supports balancing economic growth with environmental protection and maintaining quality of life.

Supports balancing economic growth with environmental protection and resident quality of life.

- Supports balancing economic growth with environmental protection and resident quality of life.

As of August 14, 2025, Jason Flanigan did not have a website or any information online.

Supports protecting individual freedoms and ensuring fair treatment for all residents.

Advocates for protecting individual freedoms and ensuring fair treatment for all residents.

- Advocates for protecting individual freedoms and ensuring fair treatment for all residents.

Grandville interviewing council candidates after retirement of Carole ...

Pledges to enhance resident's quality of life through environment conservation, restoring government trust, and protecting civil liberties.

Prioritizes being accessible, transparent, and honest.

Pledges to be accessible, transparent, and honest.

- Supports investing in infrastructure, including updating the park system and library.
- Pledges to enhance resident's quality of life through environment conservation, restoring government trust, and protecting civil liberties.
- Pledges to be accessible, transparent, and honest.

Supports prioritizing environmental protection over economic opportunity.

- Supports prioritizing environmental protection over economic opportunity.

Jason Flanigan

Jason is currently a Grandville City Council member. He was appointed in April 2019 to fill the vacancy left by Carole Pettijohn and is required to run for re-election in November 2019 to retain his seat. He is serving his first term.

Supports protecting individual freedoms and ensuring equal treatment for all residents.

Believes for "far too long" an overemphasis on economic opportunity resulted in environmental protections being neglected. 

Supports prioritizing environmental protections over economic opportunity.

Linkedin

Mike Sullivan holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public administration from Grand Valley State University. He lives in Grandville with his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter. Their family attends St. Pius X Catholic Church.

Mike serves as the election director for Kent County. He previously worked at Kent GOP, where he was an executive director and political director. He previously worked as a public affairs representative for the State of Michigan and as a sales associate at Gordon Food Service. 

Mike's campaign for Grandville City Council Member is his first entry into politics. 

Supports keeping property taxes low and expects government to do more with less without compromising services.

Supports the current administration’s approach to financial management and budgeting.

Wants to implement policies that encourage residents to shop locally to support small businesses.

Supports policies that encourage residents to shop at and support small businesses.

- Opposes high property taxes.
- Supports the current administration’s approach to financial management and budgeting.
- Supports policies that encourage residents to shop at and support small businesses.

As of August 14, 2025, Mike Sullivan’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Supports funding for police and fire departments to ensure community safety.

Believes in responsible capital improvement planning to secure long-term, sustainable funding for public safety.

Believes in strengthening collaboration with the Kent County Sheriff's Office, Kent County Emergency Management, and neighboring public safety departments to coordinate effective responses to regional emergencies.

Supports stronger collaboration with regional law enforcement and emergency agencies to strengthen responses to regional emergencies. 

- Supports funding for police and fire departments to ensure community safety.
- Believes in responsible capital improvement planning to secure long-term, sustainable funding for public safety.
- Supports stronger collaboration with regional law enforcement and emergency agencies to strengthen responses to regional emergencies. 

Supports the implementation of the City's five-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan to upgrade park facilities, protect the ecosystem, preserve greenspace, ensure pedestrian safety, and extend the trail system.

Supports the City’s five-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan to upgrade facilities, protect ecosystems, preserve green spaces, enhance pedestrian safety, and expand the trail system.

Believes transparency is essential to good government, saying "openness builds trust."

Believes government transparency is critical and pledges to ensure information is easily accessible for residents. 

Supports upholding the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to ensure residents can access information not readily available online.

- Supports the City’s five-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan to upgrade facilities, protect ecosystems, preserve green spaces, enhance pedestrian safety, and expand the trail system.
- Believes government transparency is critical and pledges to ensure information is easily accessible for residents. 
- Supports upholding the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to ensure residents can access information not readily available online.

Supports continued efforts to embed sustainability within the city's organizational culture to protect the ecosystem, quality of life, governance, and economic growth.

Supports embedding sustainability across city operations to protect the environment and promote long-term growth.

- Supports embedding sustainability across city operations to protect the environment and promote long-term growth.

Supports expanding walkability by adding more sidewalks and improving connectivity between trails and parks.

Supports policies that expand city walkability, including adding more sidewalks and improving connectivity between trails and parks.

- Supports policies that expand city walkability, including adding more sidewalks and improving connectivity between trails and parks.

Mike Sullivan

Mike Sullivan is from Grandville, Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in State, Regional, and Local Governance from Grand Valley State University. He lives in Grandville with his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter, Emma. His family are parishioners of St. Pius X Catholic Church.

Mike's campaign for Grandville City Council Member is his first entry into politics. He currently serves as the Election Director for Kent County. 

As of August 14, 2025, Mike Sullivan did not have a website or any information online.

Supports upgrading park facilities, protecting the ecosystem, preserving greenspace, ensuring pedestrian safety, and extending the trail system.

Sue Merrell Books

Sue Merrell holds an associates degree from Southwest Baptist University and a  bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She lives right outside Grand Rapids and has a son. 

Mystery author looks to unseat incumbent in race for Kent County ...

Sue is a journalist and worked for newspapers in Texas, South Carolina, and Michigan. She previously worked as an assistant features editor with the he Grand Rapids, Press.

Sue Merrell's campaign for Grandville City Council Member is her first entry into politics. She previously ran for Kent County Commissioner in 2022 but did not win.

Believes in reducing the influence of money in local politics.

- Believes in reducing the influence of money in local politics.

As of August 14, 2025, Sue Merrell did not have a website or any information online.

Opposes conservative policies on abortion, marriage, and transgender healthcare.

Opposes "conservative" policies on abortion, marriage, and transgender healthcare.

- Opposes "conservative" policies on abortion, marriage, and transgender healthcare.

Twitter

Sue Merrell

Sue is a journalist who has worked for newspapers in Texas and South Carolina. 

Walter Ley

Tim Tanner holds an associate's degree in business from Lansing Community College and attended Michigan State University. 

Tim Tanner, Ballotpedia

Tim's campaign for Grandville City Council member is his first run for public office. 

Tim works as a real state appraiser at RJ Larson Inc. He is also an assessing assistant with the City of Grandville. He previously worked as a retail contact center specialist at Apple in Grand Rapids.

Opposed the city's council decision to raise property taxes.

Supports budgeting that "keep property taxes in check."

- Opposed the city's council decision to raise property taxes.
- Supports budgeting that "keep property taxes in check."

As of August 14, 2025, Tim Tanner did not have a website or any information online.

Said, "I will advocate for quality schools..."

Tim Tanner

- City council members in Michigan help make city-level laws, approve budgets, and oversee city services to serve the community’s needs. 
- Council members attend regular meetings, listen to public concerns, and vote on city issues like zoning, public safety, and spending. They also appoint and direct officials, like the city manager.
- City council members may be elected in partisan elections or nonpartisan elections, depending on the city. They may represent either the whole city or residents of a specific district. 
- Terms for city council members often last two or four years, depending on the city.