Newcomer VandeGuchte hopes to oust Kost in 1st Ward

A Meijer security officer and former Gander Mountain firearm salesperson thinks he has what it takes to unseat First Ward Councilman Ryan Kost this November.

The challenger is Michael VandeGuchte, a 29-year-old eastside resident who cites the Michigan State University shooting as the catalyst for his decision to enter the race.

VandeGuchte

“It hit me really hard. To me, it was like: ‘Well, I think this is what I need to do.’ I felt the draw, and I saw the opportunity,” VandeGuchte, a Holland native and MSU graduate, said.

Kost, a 35-year-old eastside resident and the first openly gay Ward 1 officeholder, is finishing out a partial term expiring Dec. 31 for a seat originally filled by Brandon Betz from 2020 through his controversial resignation in January 2022. The Council then voted to appoint Brian Daniels to fill the seat through the Nov. 8 General Election, when Kost beat him by 55 votes. 

During his 10 months in office, Kost said he was most proud of his work on eliminating red-tagged properties. He cited around 750 such cases identified by the city when he took office versus the 600 or so that now remain — “an ongoing accomplishment.” He also lists the city’s budget negotiations and several smaller wins like road improvements and addressing sinkholes and flooding.

“I’m a true believer that our community cannot prosper if we’re not taking care of our neighborhoods and letting them decay,” Kost said.

Kost drew 1,807 of 2,524 total votes in the Aug. 8 primary to VandeGuchte’s 469 and DeMarco Taft’s 248. VandeGuchte admitted that he’s “at probably a 40-60 split” in terms of his chances of winning Nov. 7, but said he’ll have his feet on the ground through election day to try and tip the scales.

VandeGuchte’s campaign centers around three key issues: public safety, local business and mental health.

“I feel like the east side has been in turmoil for quite a while here, at least for the past eight years,” he said.  “It’s one of the biggest economic sectors of the city, and I want to make sure that businesses feel like they can come here and not have to shut down shop.”

On public safety and mental health, VandeGuchte said he felt the current City Council has “had this habit of ignoring a lot of the small things.”

“Assault is our number one violent crime right now, and LPD focuses on a lot of the big stuff. While that’s important, I think if we got back to more community policing, addressing more of those middle-of-the-road things, it would make the people realize that we care,” VandeGuchte said.

VandeGuchte previously worked in security at Sparrow Hospital, which he said helped heighten his awareness of the need for expanded mental health services.

“I think this city has the resources to where we can really home in on that section of mental health recovery and sustainability,” he said.

VandeGuchte was circumspect about controversial information about his opponent’s background that emerged this year.

In 2013, Kost was the subject of a personal protection order filed by a former partner, Nathan Janssen, who accused Kost of giving him a black eye, biting him and of frequently being heavily intoxicated. Kost eventually entered detox at Sparrow Hospital.

In July, City Pulse reported that Kost had lied to the paper when he said he was unaware that he had still owed Eaton County about $10,000 to Eaton County District Court stemming from a 2010 guilty plea for failing to stop at the scene of a personal injury auto accident. Kost served a year in Eaton County Jail.

An Eaton County Clerk’s Office employee provided evidence to City Pulse that Kost had acknowledged in an email that he owed the money.

Said VandeGuchte, “I will give you a comment as his constituent: I’m embarrassed. It’s absolutely ridiculous. That man spent a year in jail. I now want to represent the 1st Ward in a way more of an upstanding position.”

On the debt, Kost said, “It’s currently being paid.” On the incidents as a whole, “I can tell you it doesn’t relate to my City Council job.”

“Look,” he added, “I can’t change my past. I’ve made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. I can tell you though, that if anyone has a question of my character: Look the work that I have done so far on City Council.”

VandeGuchte sold firearms at Gander Mountain from late 2014 through 2017. When asked if he personally owned firearms, he declined to answer. He said he is open to gun restrictions in the name of safety.

“The MSU shooter got a gun charge that was swept under the rug and look at how that ended up for us,” he said.