Zeeland Township Clerk Kate Kraak offers her thanks to Township Supervisor Tom Oonk for his support during her time as clerk at a Dec. 16 board meeting. Oonk submitted his letter of resignation as supervisor Dec. 17, one day after the board accepted Kraak’s resignation as clerk.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
After five years of serving as supervisor of Zeeland Township and 21 years on the Township Board, Tom Oonk is stepping down.
Oonk submitted his letter of resignation Dec. 17, one night after the board had met, with his resignation to take effect Dec. 31. He wrote in the letter it is “with mixed emotions” that is he is resigning.
“This is a decision that has been weighing on me for a while but is now clear,” Oonk wrote in the letter.
Oonk served as a trustee on the board from 2004 until 2020, when he was elected supervisor. He was re-elected in 2024, defeating current Trustee Kerri Bosma in the Republican primary.
“Serving the township has always been a pleasure, ‘my happy place’ according to my wife,” Oonk wrote. “Over the last couple of years for various reasons, serving the township has become more and more of a burden and is no longer my ‘happy place’ or my passion. So I have concluded that it is time for a change.”
Oonk’s role as supervisor had changed over the last couple of years, as the Township Board hired Josh Eggleston as its first full-time superintendent in May 2024 to take on the brunt of the township’s day-to-day operations, including preparation of budgets and meeting agendas.
In addition to his work as supervisor, Oonk represented Zeeland Township on the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council and served on its policy board and executive committee.
“I believe it is important in whatever you do, to be able to contribute your best in a collaborative way making a positive impact on those you work with and serve,” Oonk wrote. “I am proud of what has been accomplished at Zeeland Charter Township over the past 20-plus years. Zeeland Charter Township is dramatically different and I believe in a better place than it was in 2004.”
Under state law, the township has 45 days to fill the supervisor’s position. Applicants for the position must be township residents.
Zeeland Record
After five years of serving as supervisor of Zeeland Township and 21 years on the Township Board, Tom Oonk is stepping down.
Oonk submitted his letter of resignation Dec. 17, one night after the board had met, with his resignation to take effect Dec. 31. He wrote in the letter it is “with mixed emotions” that is he is resigning.
“This is a decision that has been weighing on me for a while but is now clear,” Oonk wrote in the letter.
Oonk served as a trustee on the board from 2004 until 2020, when he was elected supervisor. He was re-elected in 2024, defeating current Trustee Kerri Bosma in the Republican primary.
“Serving the township has always been a pleasure, ‘my happy place’ according to my wife,” Oonk wrote. “Over the last couple of years for various reasons, serving the township has become more and more of a burden and is no longer my ‘happy place’ or my passion. So I have concluded that it is time for a change.”
Oonk’s role as supervisor had changed over the last couple of years, as the Township Board hired Josh Eggleston as its first full-time superintendent in May 2024 to take on the brunt of the township’s day-to-day operations, including preparation of budgets and meeting agendas.
In addition to his work as supervisor, Oonk represented Zeeland Township on the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council and served on its policy board and executive committee.
“I believe it is important in whatever you do, to be able to contribute your best in a collaborative way making a positive impact on those you work with and serve,” Oonk wrote. “I am proud of what has been accomplished at Zeeland Charter Township over the past 20-plus years. Zeeland Charter Township is dramatically different and I believe in a better place than it was in 2004.”
Under state law, the township has 45 days to fill the supervisor’s position. Applicants for the position must be township residents.
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