50 MIW honoree: Mandy Bolter

50 MIW honoree: Mandy Bolter
Mandy Bolter. <strong> Courtesy 616 Media </strong>

Mandy Bolter

Kent County Commissioner,Hent C District 5

Legislative consultant, Muchmore Harrington Smalley & Associates

 

Mandy Bolter was board chair of the Kent County Board of Commissioners during one of its most difficult seasons: the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although she is immediate past chair now, during her tenure as chair, the county received over $120 million in federal CARES Act funding and had six months to evaluate the needs and disburse the funds. She was instrumental in partnering to create the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place — at the time she also was a government relations adviser at Spectrum Health, one of the partners behind the vaccine clinic — and she also worked with the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce to create a $25 million fund for small business support.

“I led all efforts of the county response and listened to the needs of the community for (the) pandemic, while also ensuring the general function of county government … had the proper staff, oversight and funding to continue to properly function,” Bolter said.

She collaborated with Kent County Health Department and Mayor Rosalynn Bliss to create the Lead Action Task Force, which continued to inspect and clear homes of lead during the shutdown and pandemic.

Since her election as a board commissioner in 2014, Bolter has served on the Convention and Arena Authority Board, the Kent County Community Corrections Advisory Board, the Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Advisory Board, the Grand Valley Metro Council, the Human Services Committee and the county Legislative and Human Services Committee.

Bolter also is an advocate for county parks and trails, viewing them as a strong driver of employee attraction and retention in the region’s economy.