June 4, 2026
To The Editor:
Since 2023, Bill Huizenga has been the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 4th congressional district, which spans much of the state’s southwest including Van Buren County. As such, he was the keynote speaker at a Van Buren Republican Party fundraiser in Decatur on Saturday, May 30.
That day, in an event organized by the non-partisan group Indivisible Paw Paw, approximately 100+ constituents from his District 4 lined the sidewalk in front of the building and held signs advocating accountability for Huizenga. Participants included members of 3 different political parties, 4 different area Indivisible groups, Veterans 4 Democracy, and the Kalamazoo Visibility Brigade.
At the same time, an equal number of people sat inside the building listening to Huizenga’s speech which began with a blatant denial of what his constituents outside represented. He deflected the messages outside by saying, “Those people aren’t out there just for me. And they are not just there, frankly, for the president either. They are here for you!” Provoking fear and division, he continued, “They are here for you. They are coming for you, for your money, your values, and your schools.”
I write today to assure Mr. Huizenga that I and all the others lining the sidewalk that day were, indeed, there to protest against him, specifically his unaccountability to his constituents. If he would only fulfill his duties to hold open hours at his taxpayer-funded offices, answer our phone calls, host or attend the often requested in-person town halls, or even drive slowly enough to read the signs held up, perhaps he would not be confused about the gathering on the sidewalk that day, or the crowds every Friday outside his Portage office for over a year. His failure to meet with, listen to, or in this case, read the signs of his constituents is the reason he is perceived as “Un-representative Hide-zinga.”
The people on that sidewalk have no interest or intention of taking away anyone’s money or schools. And I hope that the people inside hold the same values of those outside: guaranteed Constitutional rights including equality, due process, governmental checks and balances, freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly. What we intend is to use those Constitutional values to hold Huizenga accountable. And many signs with his name on them were held up for that purpose. One sign disclosed his 2022 vote against women’s rights to contraception. Other signs exposed his votes resulting in rising healthcare costs for the working class. Noted also, his support of increased tariffs and an unpopular war on Iran that have caused fuel and food costs to skyrocket.
Critical attention was also drawn to Huizenga’s unwavering support of the first U.S. president to ever be convicted of criminal felonies (34 counts of falsifying records to conceal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels in 2024 and organizational tax fraud in 2022). Huizenga has also never flinched at the 2023 civil court conviction of Trump for sexual abuse of Jean Carrol, nor his continuing defamation and failure to pay the court-ordered compensatory damages to her. And of course, dissatisfaction was also expressed over Huizenga’s acceptance of Trump’s sweeping pardons for all 1,600 convicted January 6th insurrectionists.
So, Bill Huizenga, be an adult and accept the responsibility for that assembled group of your constituents on the sidewalk last Saturday. We, like the thousands of constituents who have spent hours outside your Portage office this past year, want to be acknow- ledged and listened to. Our many phone calls and letters of concern deserve more than a perfunctory form-letter reply. You have forgotten that you represent the people of District 4, not the occupant of the White House. It’s as if you are a marionette with Trump your master, pulling your strings. And this relationship was very aptly illustrated in performance by a marionette duo during Saturday’s protest. Sorry you missed it.
Sincerely,
Leonda Kessinger Shroyer
Precinct Delegate, Decatur Township
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