Politics Beat

The Politics Beat is a group of reporters dedicated to the local politics scene. City commission meetings, upcoming elections and new economic developments are all talked about here, by reporters that value informing the public about what's happening in Grand Rapids.

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You might receive a postcard from the City asking if you like living in Grand Rapids — Here's why.

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Grand Rapids is conducting a National Community Survey for feedback on city services and quality of life. Randomly selected residents will be invited to participate via postcards soon, and the survey will be publicly available by March 7.

Rep. Rachel Hood announces decision not to seek reelection beyond 2024

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State Rep. Rachel Hood (D-Grand Rapids) announced Monday she won't seek re-election in 2024, telling constituents "it's time to prioritize my family."

Exploring community organizations' joint effort to get all Grand Rapids residents counted in 2020 census

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A variety of Grand Rapids organizations are teaming up to educate their fellow residents about the importance of being counted in the 2020 census.

City Connection - Affordable Housing with Ryan VerWys & ICCF

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Mayor Bliss is joined in the studio by Ryan VerWys from ICCF to discuss affordable housing & more on the December 2018 episode of City Connection.

Updated with link: Special episode of City Connection discusses the importance of voting, voting rights

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Tonight's special episode of City Connection focuses on empowering voters to know their rights.

Mayor to answer questions live in monthly City Connection show

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Tune in live on Monday, August 3 to see the mayor's responses to citizen questions live, on air, on GRTV Channel 24 and live-streaming here on The Rapidian.

Mayor answers citizen questions live in July City Connection

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Monday, July 13 brought another edition of "City Connection," where Mayor Heartwell sits down to answer citizen questions live on GRTV and live-streaming on The Rapidian.

Mayor answers questions on upcoming elections, more in June City Connection

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Monday night at 5:00 p.m., Mayor Heartwell answered questions from local citizens on GRTV Channel 25 and livestreamed on The Rapidian.

Film Review on The House I Live In

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Creston neighbors recently viewed and discussed a documentary about the war on drugs. The film's takeaway? Drug abusers are not the only victims of drug addiction.

Mayor braves "polar vortex" to answer citizen concerns

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Mayor Heartwell answered citizen questions about city issues on Monday evening, with concerns ranging from maintaining city streets to parking cost increases to development inclusivity.

Mayor answers citizen questions about our homeless population on City Connection

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In this month's edition of the live show where our mayor answers citizen questions, a Rapidian asked the mayor about the city's plans to assist our homeless population as downtown continues to grow.

Connect to the City of Grand Rapids government through social media

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If you want to learn more about the city government, you could check your feed on Twitter or Facebook or watch a City Commission meeting online.

Meet Brian Ellis: Running for Republican Congressional seat

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Brian Ellis from Grand Rapids was encouraged to run based on disagreeing with Justin Amash's voting record and explains how he would do things differently.

City officials take voluntary pay cuts

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The City of Grand Rapids quarterly Transformation Update reveals a variety of ways local government has cut costs.

Grand Rapids leaders launch Yes! GR Parks campaign

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Community leaders have introduced a proposal of a new property tax to increase funds for city parks that will appear on the ballot November 5.

Downtown Development Authority approves parklet amendment

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The Downtown Development Authority has approved an amendment to the Streetscape Improvement Incentive Program as a first step to the creation of parklets in Downtown Grand Rapids.

Future careers for kids explored on City Connection

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The future job market for the next generation in GR could hold more options than you think. Commissioner James White goes into detail from this last episode of City Connection.

Commissioner White answers citizen questions on City Connection

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Rapidian staff and politics beat member Renato Delos Reyes poses a question about repairing city damage from flooding. City Commissioner White sat in for Mayor Heartwell

Local labor unions explain possible effects of Right to Work legislation

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Local unions discuss the effects of the new Right-To-Work Law.

City searches for qualified Comptroller

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Comptroller: What is it, who qualifies, and what is the City looking for in their search for a new one?