Sue Merrell (Grandville City Council, Michigan, candidate 2025)

Sue Merrell

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Grandville City Council

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

University of Missouri, 1970

Personal

Profession

Journalist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Sue Merrell is running for election to the Grandville City Council in Michigan. Merrell is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Merrell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Sue Merrell provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 21, 2025:

• High school: O'fallon Township High School
• Bachelor's: University of Missouri, 1970
• Profession: Journalist
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website

Elections

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Grandville City Council (3 seats)

Jason Flanigan, Randy Gelderloos, Sue Merrell, Mike Sullivan, and Tim Tanner are running in the general election for Grandville City Council on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Jason Flanigan (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Randy Gelderloos (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Sue Merrell (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Mike Sullivan (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Tim Tanner (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sue Merrell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Merrell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a retired journalist. I worked 40 years for newspapers in 4 states. I took a buy out from The Grand Rapids Press in 2009. Since then I have published 3 books in the Jordan Daily News Mystery Series.

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?

• One thing I learned from my career is the importance of listening to people.
• I also learned the importance of following the facts.
• Good communication is the key to good governance.T

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Truth

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Municipal government doesn't get much publicity but it has more effect on people's daily lives than state or federal government. We collect the taxes and run the polling places. We provide police protection and purify the drinking water and pave the roads. And we are right there to hear your complaints and concerns. You don't have to send an email and wonder if we got it. You can show up at a council meeting and the whole room will hear what's on your mind.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

As a journalist I have lived a charmed life. I've personally interviewed all sorts of famous people like Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis, James Earl Jones, Julie Newmar and Molly Ringwald. I've interviewed dozens more on the phone like Cary Grant, Josh Groban, Bette Midler, Jay Leno and Bernadette Peters. And I spent the last 10 years of my career reviewing live theater. I actually got paid to have a good time.

But my career wasn't all fun and games. I covered multiple tornadoes over the years, sat with a woman whose son has just been buried in a grain elevator. I've toured the inner workings of a nuclear power plant as well as a bubble gum factory. And I have covered lots and lots of government meetings. I've had to testify in court about what was said at a public meeting and won a Copley Bell for an investigative series on the open meetings act.

All in a day's work .

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.

See also

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Candidate

Grandville City Council

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