Dan Hesse (Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18, Michigan, candidate 2024)

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Dan Hesse

Democratic Party

Candidate, Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 6, 2024

Education

Associates

Grand Rapids Community College, 2014

Bachelor's

Davenport University, 2018

Personal

Birthplace

Grand Rapids, MI

Profession

IT manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign X

Campaign Instagram

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Personal LinkedIn

Dan Hesse (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18 in Michigan. He was on the ballot in the Democratic primary on August 6, 2024.^[source]

Hesse completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Dan Hesse provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 31, 2024:

• Birth date: April 18, 1990
• Birth place: Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Associate: Grand Rapids Community College, 2014
• Bachelor's: Davenport University, 2018
• Gender: Male
• Profession: IT Manager
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign endorsements
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Instagram
• Campaign X
• Campaign YouTube
• Campaign YouTube video
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

General election for Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18

Steve Faber and Tim Allen ran in the general election for Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Steve Faber (D)
	Submit photo	Tim Allen (R)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18

Steve Faber, Dan Hesse, and James R. Rinck ran in the Democratic primary for Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
		Steve Faber
	Submit photo	Dan Hesse
	Submit photo	James R. Rinck

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18

Tim Allen and Josie Kornev ran in the Republican primary for Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Tim Allen
	Submit photo	Josie Kornev

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

To view Hesse's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hesse in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dan Hesse completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hesse's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m proud to be running to serve the 18th District of Kent County. Having spent most of my life either living or working in the district, I’m excited by the opportunity to represent you on the Board of Commissioners. Ever since my early days of serving my neighbors with my lawn mowing business of over 100 local customers, my community – our community – has been central to my life. Now I am called to serve my neighbors again.

This election is about selecting trustworthy voices to speak up on your behalf for the services and projects you care about. My priorities are Housing, the Environment, Public Safety, and Community Engagement. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from Davenport University and an Associate’s Degree in Computer Applications from GRCC. I hold a Private Pilot’s License and am a PADI Divemaster Scuba Diver and help assist new divers seeking certification. These skills took a great deal of time, patience, and attention – not at all unlike the work of public service, for which I am well-prepared.

Through a fulfilling array of volunteer experiences, including service in the Sunrise Movement (a local organization that combats climate change), Movimiento Cosecha (a local immigrant rights group), Grand Rapids for Affordable Housing, and Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid Network (helped deliver groceries to people during the COVID-19 pandemic), I’ve experienced grassroots action firsthand.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Affordable Housing: An overburdened community. A future in jeopardy. Too many people in our communities are struggling to make ends meet, and Housing is an enormous pressure on the finances of households of all kinds, in all age groups and life stages. Greater Grand Rapids is growing fast, and there aren’t enough affordable options to choose from. This burden is threatening the stability and prosperity of our county. We can do better. We must do better. I will support legislation and programs that address the concerns of all citizens and aspiring citizens, to meet the needs of real people – not just the big out-of-town speculators and investors who have helped to fuel this crisis.
• Environment: Clean air, drinking water, lakes, and rivers. I believe that breathing clean air, drinking pure water, and keeping our lakes and rivers free from contaminants are essential to our way of life. I’m currently advocating for the new landfill location (that is in the process of being deliberated) to be put on land controlled by a public entity. When it comes to our climate, cleanliness (not cost) should be the first consideration, and recycling should be incentivized. I will also consider the implications of any new projects within the county and ensure that they do not place a negative impact on our waterways, many of which that are routed between neighboring Townships and the City of Grand Rapids.
• Public Safety: Breaking cycles and breaking down barriers. The vast success and expansion of Kent County comes with great challenges in Public Safety for those doing the protecting and those being served. I will support open-minded law enforcement agencies who will collaborate on new ideas from the community while responding to data, facts, and proven outcomes. This includes the promotion of programs outside and within the Kent County Jail to help disrupt the revolving door of recidivism. The time has come to break the pipelines to incarceration and the destructive policy cycles that burden both our citizens and our justice system.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I personally believe the Kent County Commission should be more transparent, accessible, and open to all. From small tasks in the daily grind to the big and ambitious projects we undertake, we must ensure that residents are “in the loop” about their government. Timely and transparent information should flow freely from government to the people. Citizens should be enabled and empowered to get involved in their local government as much as possible. By sharing more with the people, we will discover collaboration with each other, as well as organizations and neighborhood groups who are doing great things, and in many cases are more in touch with the needs and concerns of our neighbors than the government can be alone.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, Accessibility, Transparency, Dedication, Reliability

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Doing research, talking to constituents, gathering knowledge, and being involved in the Community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11. It took place when I was 11 years old. I really remember the Country coming together during the aftermath.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think it's important for the office holder to have a knowledge of how government works, what the pressing issues are, and what matters to constituents.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Community experience, social skills, knowledge of issues, ability to work well with others.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Grand Rapids for Affordable Housing, Planned Parenthood Advocates of MI, Moms Demand Action, Run for Something, 314 Action, MI Rural Caucus, Ivan Diaz (Kent County Commissioner), Jose Rodriguez (GRPS School Board), Cathy Albro (2018 Democratic Nominee for CD3), Lupe Ramos-Montigny (Former State Board of Education Member), David and Paula Doyle (Community Activists)

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Kent County Board of Commissioners District 18

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