Ottawa County drops 'Where Freedom Rings' motto after pro-Trump majority loses power
WEST OLIVE, Mich. (AP) — One of Michigan's fastest-growing counties is dropping “Where Freedom Rings" as its motto, less than a year after hard-right elected officials lost their majority on the governing board.
“Where Freedom Rings” replaced “Where You Belong” in 2023 in Ottawa County, population 306,000 near Lake Michigan in the western part of the state. At the same time, the county board tried to fire the health officer over COVID-19 restrictions and eliminated a diversity office.
But the tide has turned somewhat. Republicans still dominate the board, though members of a pro-Trump group known as Ottawa Impact no longer have a majority, even while President Donald Trump got 59% of the county vote in the 2024 election.
Board Chair John Teeples said “Where Freedom Rings” was divisive.
"For far too many people in Ottawa County and elsewhere, this motto has come to symbolize disunity and rejection, not genuine personal freedom regardless of what its authors may have intended,” Teeples said.
The board voted 7-4 to drop it Tuesday. Commissioner Joe Moss, the former board chair, proposed "In God We Trust” as a new motto but it failed, MLive.com reported.
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A county resident, Deb Cizek of Port Sheldon Township, spoke in favor of getting rid of “Where Freedom Rings.”
The motto started "two years of continuous attacks on personal rights, parental rights, acceptance of those with different life choices, public schools, public libraries, Planned Parenthood, and most obvious, the Ottawa County Health Department staff and programming,” Cizek said.
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