The rise and fall of John Gibbs in West Michigan: How conservatives purged an ideological peer

Ottawa County

Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs walks to his seat before an Ottawa County board committee meeting in West Olive, Michigan on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

To hear him tell it, John Gibbs is in the wilderness.

After being fired as Ottawa County administrator, Gibbs, a devout Catholic, has been using his newfound free time to attend daily mass. In this period of reflection, he told MLive he’s drawn some connections to his own situation.

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