On Tuesday, November 3 Georgetown Township residents will be asked to vote for Township Board positions.  Voters will vote on Four Trustee Positions.

1) State your name, position running for and why you are running.

2) What expertise and strengths are you bringing to the board?

3) What specifically have you been involved in that has helped make the Township a better place?

4) Is there something you would like to preserve about the community?  Anything you would change?

5) Why should residents vote for you?

My name is Tara Angus and I am running for Georgetown Township Trustee. 

I feel local government is a service to the community and I am looking forward to serving the community that I was raised in.

I am a graduate of Grandville High School and earned both my BA (Art/Psychology) and MA (Professional Counseling/School Counseling) from Spring Arbor University.  After living away from Georgetown Township for college and the first five years I was married, my husband and I chose to move to Jenison because of the community and the great school system.  We found that we could still be centrally located near family and live in a community that values education and family. We have stayed in the township to raise our daughter not only because of the community, but also because of the opportunities that she has within Jenison Public Schools Spanish Immersion program. It is because of my love for the community that I look forward to serving on the board as a trustee. I believe that Georgetown Township is a bright community with a bright future.

Preparation for municipal leadership varies from person to person, for me the preparation I will lean on most is my counseling background including, working with and studying various communities over the years. For the past 20 years I have worked in the mental health field in residential, occupational, and educational settings. Currently I am employed as a School Counselor at a public high school in Ottawa County. The struggles and overcoming of barriers that I have seen professionally is what has shaped me into the community minded person I am today.

My counseling background is what allows me to know when to listen to the community, when to problem solve, and when to take action. Volunteering on a disaster response team throughout West Michigan has also given me a different perspective with the coordination needed when a disaster strikes a community. With my counseling and disaster response background I feel that I will bring a new perspective to the GT board.

For the past 3 years I have been a member of the American Red Cross Regional Disaster Mental Health team, which includes Ottawa County.  This team is made up of mental health professionals that respond to various disasters such as house & apartment fires, natural disasters, and mass casualty events both regionally and nationally.  I have been able to rotate on-call quarterly responsibilities with my team, respond to national flooding disasters and sheltering sites on various occasions.

I also volunteer in the community during times of need, at educational events, and athletic events.  I am always happy to lend a helping hand.

Over the last six years or so I have regularly attended and followed the township board meetings and committee meetings. I have worked to make sure that the community is aware of issues that may be of interest. I also have created surveys asking for community input before presenting them directly to the board. One example is my idea of safety sidewalks within one mile of schools, which I surveyed a small section of the community to discover where there may be a need for a safety sidewalk.

Georgetown Township is a growing and changing community. I would like to help Georgetown Township visualize the future of the whole township, including the western part of Georgetown Township and start to make decisions based on those community based goals. All while still maintaining the family-like community feel.

We need to work to be a more business friendly board that supports businesses that are both just starting out and that have been part of the community for a length of time. Along with community members businesses are our partners.

I support maintaining the current tax or even reducing the rate to 2.5. Georgetown Township Board should be responsible stewards of the taxes collected from the community.

First and foremost, I will listen to the community before I try to solve problems or make decisions. I believe in transparency and having difficult conversations in search of common ground. I will work with the community to be open and discover what they feel is missing from our community or what changes can be made for improvement. This process starts with a simple needs assessment (survey) of the community. I would like to offer this to the community within the first few months of the board being seated. Open topic town halls, in person or virtual, where the community can bring their ideas and concerns are needed in Georgetown Township. I would like to see the township website and social media allow for more open communication with the community with easily found information.

One thing I know from having lived here most of my life is the people that reside in Georgetown Township love their community and want to see it grow and prosper. My goal is the same for the community.

The publication of these candidate questionnaires by the Grandville Jenison Chamber of Commerce is not a commitment to either endorse or support a particular candidate, but is a reflection of our desire to acquaint our membership / residents with those individuals seeking leadership positions in the community.