Always Follow the Money: Both Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce funded candidates won in Kentwood.

On October 27, I posted an article about which candidates received funding from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce during the most recent campaign finance quarter, ending on October 25th. That GRIID posted noted that there were two candidates running for Kentwood City Commission seats, David Moore II ($1,000) and Maurice Groce ($500), both of whom had received funding from the GR Chamber.

Both Moore and Groce won their election and the largest single local campaign contributor to both of these candidates, was the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. As say local, because there were some larger contributions made to David Moore II from Colorado and Florida, as you can see in the campaign finance data here. In the case of Maurice Groce, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce was the largest contributor, but was matched by the Mayor of Kentwood, Stephen Kepley.

This trend, where the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is making substantial campaign contributions to candidates at the local level is indeed a disturbing trend. The most power business association in West Michigan, which has members in the top tier of the Capitalist Class, will more often than not get want they want on economic and social policies at the local level, just like we saw with the recent ordinances that were adopted by the City of Grand Rapids, ordinances that protected profits over people.  When members of the Capitalist Class can use their wealth to determine the outcome of elections, they make a mockery out of even the most basic notion of democracy.