Building Up Grand Rapids Michigan

David Martin: This is the good government show.

Walter Bujak: Kent County has in it the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Grand Rapids, Michigan is probably one of America’s best kept secrets. I think I just gave it away. Those that don’t know never been to Grand Rapids. It’s a very dynamic community.

Soccer as a sport in the United States is now catching up with the rest of the world.

We look at it as an investment in our future, because we’re trying to attract businesses to come from all over the world to this particular region of Michigan.

Good government is being able to have a cohesive working group that isn’t going to, be yelling or screaming at each other, but sitting down and looking at the hard facts and making decisions that are in the best interests of the people.

David Martin: There’s a lot of building going on in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On today’s show, one of the Kent County commissioners will tell you it’s a city that’s expanding with several new projects. Welcome to the Good Government show. I’m Dave Martin. First, help us show the message of good government by liking us and showing us where we are. On Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and Blue Sky.

Please share a show with your friends and reviewers for your listening and join our Good Government Show community. Check out our website for the link. When I talk with Commissioner Walter Bujak, we talked a lot about the many projects that are going on in the city of Grand Rapids, and that’s Kent County. What I liked was that they seem to be spending the people’s money wisely.

As you’ll hear, one of the projects converted a truck parking lot to a riverfront amphitheater. That sounds like a good use of government spending. We talked about a new soccer stadium, too. The city expects that stadium will be a factor in creating more housing. So two good projects right there. Overall, the city and the county is improving the waterfront region and expanding it and making it more accommodating to the public.

Again, good use of government dollars. And here’s the best part. The residents had a chance to weigh in on the various projects, and the consensus seems to be that the people are behind it. So good government on many levels, good projects, but also good input from the public. And that’s good government all around.

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Welcome to the Good Government show, the voice of public service. I’m here with Walter Bujak, the Kent County Commissioner, and Kent County, Michigan. Welcome to good government. So nice to have you.

Walter Bujak: Thanks, Dave. It’s a great opportunity to be here at Naco this weekend. We got sunshine 60 degrees today and happy to be here.

David Martin: Yes, we are having a good day here in Washington DC. It is, I think March 1st. So we actually have a nice sunny day. We talked a little bit before we, we started this interview, and it seems as though you’re spending a lot of the county’s money, but you seem to be spending it. Well, now, you just ran through a litany of things that you did.

So tell me what you’re building in what you’ve built. Yeah.

Walter Bujak: So we live in West Michigan, Kent County, has in it the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Grand Rapids, Michigan is probably one of America’s best kept secrets. I think I just gave it away. So, for those that don’t know, never been to Grand Rapids. It’s a very dynamic community. Very growing community. We have 660,000 people in King County, and, King County is a government, works great collaboratively with the city of Grand Rapids.

And so we have invested in, many infrastructure projects together, along with privatization companies and also the philanthropic community, that we have. So we’re very, very blessed.

David Martin: So let’s talk about some of the things you’ve, you spent money on. I think you the first thing you mentioned is a soccer stadium.

Walter Bujak: Yeah. So, last year, the city of Grand Rapids bonded to build a soccer stadium right downtown. Who.

David Martin: Is the soccer stadium for?

Walter Bujak: For soccer?

David Martin: No, no, no. What teams? I mean, do you have a profession? We don’t even have an n.

Walter Bujak: No, no, we don’t have a team.

David Martin: If you build it, they will come.

Walter Bujak: We build it, they will come. I think soccer as a sport in the United States is now catching up with the rest of the world. Yeah. And the city of Grand Rapids looked at this opportunity and said, hey, there’s a lot of cities our size that have built soccer stadiums. I think there’s one in Columbus, Ohio. And, it just seemed like a good a good fit for what they were trying to do.

David Martin: Was it a hard was it a hard sell to spend the money to build a stadium?

Walter Bujak: No. Oh, good. We have a private sponsor, the Amway Corporation. Amway Corporation’s name will go on the stadium. Good.

David Martin: And so we already sold the naming rights.

Walter Bujak: They partner with the county in the city. And, we’re looking forward to it. I’m excited for, you know, all the soccer enthusiasts in the region that will be coming there.

David Martin: Are you are you dating? Are you a soccer player yourself?

Walter Bujak: No, no, I’m I’m a football. Not not a football. A football fan myself.

David Martin: American football. Yes. And you also talked about the fact that you spent, a lot of money in your building. Building an amphitheater?

Walter Bujak: Yes. We’re building.

David Martin: Tell me about this.

Walter Bujak: A beautiful amphitheater right on the Grand River. And that is a project, again, being done by the city of Grand Rapids. But we can. County government are also partnering with the city of Grand Rapids. And it’s a beautification project of land that’s was currently used by the city of Grand Rapids for their public works. So they’re like parking a bunch of trucks and vehicles.

They’re on this beautiful property right next to the river. So they decided to repurpose that property and put it in a beautiful amphitheater right downtown, right on the river. It’s going to be called the Aqua sure amphitheater. And so Aqua sure is the, private partner along with, philanthropic investors and King County and the city of Grand Rapids.

That project, broke ground in 2024. And it’s got the superstructure currently up. And it looks beautiful. Yeah. And they anticipate opening in May of 2026. So I’m looking forward to going the first.

David Martin: Consider myself anything booked yet?

Walter Bujak: No, not that I’m aware of. I’m a music enthusiast myself, so I you can bet that as a county commissioner, they give me an opportunity to be there for the first concert. I certainly will be there.

David Martin: All right. Good, I do play. Do you.

Walter Bujak: Play? Yes. I’m actually a singer songwriter myself. Are you? And so I’ve been playing music since I was a kid, fortunately.

David Martin: But they’re going to book you at the Ampitheater. Have you.

Walter Bujak: No chance? No, I’m not quite, I haven’t wrote my, what do they call it? One hit one. I’m not a one hit wonder. Yeah.

David Martin: Not yet. Not. Yeah. So. So you’ve built you’re building an amphitheater? Yes. You built a soccer stadium. What else have you built?

Walter Bujak: Well, we have a zoological, park. It’s called John Ball Zoo. And the zoo is a regional zoo just growing by leaps and bounds. So we just approved a master plan for the zoo, which includes, increase in the size of the parking, which is needed because, you know, so many people are coming from, you know, the region that the the growth required, improvement to the infrastructures for parking.

But we also are putting in, new exhibits, which include a giraffe. We just did a $9 million exhibit for a baby hippo. So we’re definitely expanding our zoo. And it’s just a great asset to the community and, and many people using that.

David Martin: So a zoo at Ampitheater, at a soccer stadium, you’ve got three things covered. And what else?

Walter Bujak: Well, we have a, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, which is located right downtown on the Grand River. And the riverfront was never really fully utilized with the, museum. So we have a $50 million, update to our Grand Rapids Public museum. And the intent of much of the exterior update is to make the river accessible, to all people, including those with disabilities.

So right now, though, trying to get down to the river is somewhat, trepidatious, treacherous. But they plan on putting all kinds of accessibility for fishermen and people, and they’re going to put, like, outdoor classroom areas along the river so that the inner city kids can come in and actually get, classes related to the history museum and do that outdoors.

So a beautification of the riverfront, including exterior lighting, the museum, which we currently don’t have. So the architects of this upgrade have spent time at night, you know, trying to envision what that museum could look like with accent lighting at night. So it’s going to just look beautiful when it’s done.

David Martin: So sort of like the Empire State Building a New York.

Walter Bujak: Yeah, yeah, a lot of city different. A lot of cities have recognized that they have architectural features that, you know, have been hidden. And by putting.

David Martin: In the museum an architectural wonder.

Walter Bujak: Marble, not really, but actually.

David Martin: We’re going to make it that.

Walter Bujak: Way. Yeah. There’s, we have a carousel, with, what do you call it? Ponies. Horses? Horse carousel. Okay, kids, that, is on the exterior of the museum, and it’s kind of a it is an attractive feature, and they want to make that more accessible. And so. So you’re investing.

David Martin: A lot of county money and public money and stuff. That’s not life or death. Zoos, soccer stadiums, amphitheaters. How do you explain to the folks there that this is important stuff that we need to spend money on?

Walter Bujak: We look at it as an investment in our future because we’re trying to attract businesses to come from all over the world to this particular region of Michigan. And the incentives are, you know, having a lifestyle that young people who we’re trying to attract will have opportunities to raise their families in a safe community and then have all these amenities.

We’ve got a minor league baseball team, the Whitecaps, and a beautiful stadium. And by the way, we’re expanding. We’re expanding and growing the stadium. They’re putting all brand new, grass on the infield and. Okay. And they’re adding.

David Martin: Did you get it? You’re a county commissioner. Did you get a chance to throw out the first pitch yet?

Walter Bujak: No. And the county is not in that. That’s a totally privatized project. And the county’s not involved in that particular project, but it’s still the first pitch, you know, some other project going on in West Michigan, in the Grand Rapids area that, you know, just shows the, the beauty of good government and well-managed government. Kent County is blessed in that we have triple bond rating where like in the top one third of all counties in the United States.

As far as, our ranking, we’re ranked like 105 out of 3069.

David Martin: Not to brag, but we’re doing good.

Walter Bujak: Not to brag, but we are doing good.

David Martin: And so how are you able to spend this? I mean, you know, you’re you’re talking about big projects that are, you know, important not life and death projects, but you’re able to finance these and still have a good bond rating and have a strong, you know, financial structure for your county. How are you able to pull that off?

Because this sounds like good government. We like that of the good government.

Walter Bujak: And we looked at increasing the hotel motel tax rate and that’s where the beauty of a lot of these project comes. We had a tax rate of 5%. And we looked at other cities that are our size and expanding and growing and determined that there was the potential for, an appetite to increase that from 5% to a maximum of 8%.

And we put that forward as a, referendum in the form of a millage to the voters. And they said that they wanted they wanted the soccer stadium, they wanted the outdoor amphitheater. And, you know, there was a potential that we’re going to blow up an aquarium we’re talking about. And thinking, you know, trying to figure out, you know.

David Martin: We’re going to add an aquarium to the mix.

Walter Bujak: Add an aquarium to the mix. So why are.

David Martin: You spending the people’s money wisely?

Walter Bujak: Absolutely. I you know, I, very conservative commissioner, you know, and you look at what’s happening at the federal level and government and you hear about this project called Doge. You know, I, I myself have gone to the county administrator and, you know, have pressed him on this issue, asking about, you know, what about our county, what about our, you know, finances and expenses, you know, is there any fat and our county administrator and assure me that we are as lean as we can possibly be.

We get exterior audits and interior audits every year, and that’s how we maintain that triple bond rating is by having good fiscal management. Our commissioners are they ask a lot of tough questions. And, you know, we’re very conscientious of of the spending that’s going on. And we try to do our best. It’s not it’s not always easy and it’s not always popular.

But we you know, we do our best. Well, you’ve.

David Martin: Got, a zoo expansion, a new soccer stadium. You’re building a new amphitheater, you’re expanding on the town museum. You’re ultimately you’re increasing access to the river, all of these things, and you’re still, being fiscally responsible, and you’re spending the people’s money wisely. Is that is that all? Is that all a good summation?

Walter Bujak: Yeah. And there’s more. I didn’t.

David Martin: Tell you. There’s more.

Walter Bujak: Absolutely. We, we value.

David Martin: We want to hear about good government across.

Walter Bujak: The board parks. Right now, we’re partnering with trails in Michigan. They’re Michigan. They’re, collaborative groups that are working to, interlink trails.

David Martin: Okay.

Walter Bujak: That go across the entire state.

David Martin: Bike trails, walking trails.

Walter Bujak: Walking trails. And so King County has invested heavily in its trails. Right now, we’re building a walking bridge in the, ed, Lowell area. It’s going to be, pedestrian bridge that goes across the Grand River bridge so that we can connect two vital trails together, the White Pine Trail. And I’m not sure the other name the trail.

So, again, investing in parks because the people in Kent County who told us that parks are important to them. So, that and what else can I tell you?

David Martin: Well, that’s a that’s a pretty good lineup. So it sounds like you figured it out in Grand Rapids, how to spend the money properly and wisely and still have money left over for the vital services you need?

Walter Bujak: Yeah, and I’m blessed. I moved into Grand Rapids from Ohio in 1985, and just seeing the transformational change there, you know, Grand Rapids is just a great community. Raise a family and there’s, job opportunities there. And again, we’re attracting businesses from all over the world, and we anticipate growth of at least 10% in the next 25 years.

So we’re looking at going from a population of 660,000 to, three quarters of a million. Yeah. And and with that comes all the problems of growth. You know, we’re.

David Martin: You’re planning for growth, correct?

Walter Bujak: We’re planning we’re we’re planning an expansion of the sheriff’s department because along with all that growth comes increased crime and increased need for, you know, advocacy for youth that are, you know, troubled in. So all those programs. And Kent County has been very, very generous and very good with our veterans program. We we highly value, you know, the service of our veterans.

So we have a very, very robust and active veterans program in King County.

David Martin: You figured everything out in Grand Rapids. You’ve got government down. You figured.

Walter Bujak: It out. I’d like to think that we’re good government. And the fact that I’m sitting here on your show means something. I guess.

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David Martin: All right. So here we are. We’re talking with Walter Boo Jack, county commissioner from Kent County. That’s Grand Rapids Michigan. All right. This is the hardest question. After this they’re all easy. What is good government.

Walter Bujak: Good government is good politics. And what does that mean. That means that the people who are involved, all the commissioners and also the city commissioners, individuals willing to sit down together at the table no matter what the differences politically, party affiliation, etc., and being willing to negotiate politics is all about negotiation. You’re always going to get what you want, but you can always negotiate.

And I think good government is being able to have a cohesive working group that isn’t going to, be yelling or screaming at each other, but sitting down and looking at the hard facts and making decisions that are in the best interests of the people. So, I think we have that in Kent County. And, we have shown that we can work collaboratively as county commissioners, and we are getting the job done.

David Martin: If people are frustrated with government, what would you like them to do?

Walter Bujak: Get involved? I always tell people, if you don’t like the government, then you need to get in there and change it yourself. Get involved.

David Martin: Is that how you got involved? You didn’t go around and said, I can make a difference.

Walter Bujak: I started as a township trustee and a township planning commissioner in Caledonia, Michigan, and then, realized that, you know, the skill set that I achieved at the township level, would be useful at Kent County. And when they did redistricting in 2020, there was an open seat in my district. And I knew I had the skill set and I was invited to come along for the ride, and it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made.

It’s been it’s been a good ride so far.

David Martin: So we are the good government show. We are the voice of public service. What drew you to public service? What made you decide you wanted to get into this?

Walter Bujak: Well, actually, when I first started in government, I had concerns that were environmental concerns. I live on the Thorn Apple River, and, in Kent County, with the expansive growth that we’ve been experiencing, there were some negative impacts to the river. They businesses that were, developing in southeast Kent County and not using best practices in their development processes, allowing sediment to escape from their, development projects.

And it was negatively impacting the Thorne Apple River. And you could see it every time it rained. The river would turn into chocolate milk. Yeah. And I said, what is the source? What is the source? And I actually got my, boots on and a machete knife. And I went back into the.

David Martin: The.

Walter Bujak: Source to and found the source. Okay. It was poor. It was poor business practices, you know, in development. And we made changes in Caledonia and we began, inspecting projects to make sure that the developers are putting in, you know, proper remediation to keep, the soil on their construction projects, basically put it in soil fences to make sure that they work.

David Martin: You saw what was going on. You didn’t like it. You you worked to work for a solution, and then you got involved.

Walter Bujak: Right?

David Martin: And started. That’s great. Who’s who’s your political hero? Who inspires you?

Walter Bujak: My political hero. Yeah. Would probably be Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan. I’m a Ronald Reagan guy. You are.

David Martin: Okay, so now that you’ve been, county commissioner and you served on other boards before that, what would you like people to know about government from an inside point of view that they probably don’t know?

Walter Bujak: I don’t know, I, I’ve had a a personal policy that I’ve used and it’s been effective. As a county commissioner, you know, these are the five policies that I follow. I ask questions, I investigate, I verify, I double verify, and I trust no one. And what does that mean? Trust no one. It it’s the political climate that we live in.

I think Americans everywhere have some level of distrust for, public public policy. Well, we’re.

David Martin: Trying to change that.

Walter Bujak: And we’re trying to change that. And how do you do that?

David Martin: It’s just I do you produce a podcast show called The Good Government Show, and you bring people on like yourself, right. And say, here’s what we do one day.

Walter Bujak: At a time. Yeah, one decision at a time. And you win one heart at a time. You get out and talk to the people, find out what they think, and then bring those concerns back to your government. And that’s what representatives are supposed to do.

David Martin: What’s the best part of your job?

Walter Bujak: Talking to the people.

David Martin: What’s the hardest part?

Walter Bujak: The hardest part is, decisions that will cause conflict, you know, in a bipartisan, arena.

David Martin: Did you always think you were going to get into public service? Did you think this was, you know, were you president of your high school class?

Walter Bujak: No. I, I think I got involved, simply because I saw that there was a need and over time developed a skill set. It’s it’s hard being in politics. And, you know, you’re going to have people there.

David Martin: What’s your background? What did you do before?

Walter Bujak: I work for GE aviation as a software configuration okay.

David Martin: All right. So nothing to do with.

Walter Bujak: Nothing to do.

David Martin: With.

Walter Bujak: Government. No.

David Martin: All right. So here’s the funny question. I’ve never been in Grand Rapids, although I have been in Michigan. I’ve had a Coney in Detroit, I’ve had cherry pie and and, northern, northern Michigan. What’s the signature dish of Grand Rapids? Tell me about your town. Where are we going? What are we doing? I mean, you forget it.

Walter Bujak: What are we doing? Insured? Yeah.

David Martin: Yes, yes. What do we have?

Walter Bujak: Well, I’m kind of a I’m kind of a poor guy myself. Can’t. So eating out. We’ve got great restaurants downtown.

David Martin: Hey, if you want to make something as a house.

Walter Bujak: That I like going to you cellos restaurant downtown. It’s a it’s a pizzeria. And they’ve got an outdoor, seating right on the, the plaza. So, I would I would go down to the plaza and, you know, look for any restaurant that’s offering outdoor seating and, and and take in the environment. I think I think the beauty of the city and the safety, you know, it’s it’s an attraction.

And I recommend any restaurant you find down there.

David Martin: So what’s the deal with Detroit Pizza?

Walter Bujak: Detroit pizza. Oh, I love jet’s pizza. It’s it’s,

David Martin: Well, Detroit Pizza is a style, right?

Walter Bujak: It’s a style. Yeah. It’s thick. It’s, it’s a thicker pizza, and it has this, crunchy crust that that you can only get out of Detroit.

David Martin: So, you talked about, you live out a river and you talked about river access. What do you do for fun? Do you get on the river?

Walter Bujak: Oh, absolutely. I’m a fisherman, I kayak, and I love tubing. Actually, I’ve got a pontoon on Saginaw Bay myself. That’s where I spend my free time.

David Martin: But I hear another Bay.

Walter Bujak: River advocate for sure. I’m on the Thorn Apple River Watershed Council. I’ve been on that for 27 years. So, have a voice there in assuring that the river is, you know, properly managed and maintained. And we’ve done really, really well with the river.

David Martin: We just talked about fun. So you get on the pond here.

Walter Bujak: Yeah. Yep.

David Martin: All right, so this is the good government show. We always bring it back to good government. Tell me about a good government project that you’ve worked on that that was successful, that you’re proud of.

Walter Bujak: The Aqua? Sure. Amphitheater.

David Martin: Amphitheater.

Walter Bujak: And that because I’m a musician, was excited to see, you know, that opportunity come to Grand Rapids.

David Martin: And when is it open?

Walter Bujak: I think may of 2026.

David Martin: Oh, it’s going to be a while.

Walter Bujak: Yeah. Just, No, wait, maybe 20:25 a.m. I?

David Martin: We’re a 20 year away. Oh, you’re.

Walter Bujak: No, no, no, it is 2026. We’re a year.

David Martin: We’re you’re away. Yep. So you got to like, you know, grab your guitar, before it really opens it. Just get on the stage. You go. Yeah, I played here.

Walter Bujak: Yeah, I wish.

David Martin: All right, well, listen, Walter Bujak, a Kent County commissioner from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thanks for being on the good government show.

Walter Bujak: Sure. David. Nice to.

David Martin: Meet. Hey, nice to meet you. And, listen, keep spending the people’s money wisely. It sounds like you are.

Walter Bujak: I will, thank you.

David Martin: Thank you.

County government affects more people than any other form of government. That’s why we like talking to so many representatives of county government here on the good government show. They are the voice of public service. The National Association of Counties, or Naco, supports all 3069 counties across the USA. This year, their annual conference is in Philadelphia in July, planned to attend the conference and join them in their efforts to bring good government to America’s counties.

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After you get done with this episode, hear more good government stories with our friends at How to Really Run a City for mayors Kasim Reid of Atlanta and Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, and their co-host, journalist and author Larry Platt talk with guests and other mayors about how to really get stuff done in cities around the nation. Check them out where you’re listening now or through their nonprofit news site, The Philadelphia Citizen.

Dot org slash podcasts.

And investment in the future. That’s how Kent County Commissioner Walter Budget sees the money being spent a soccer stadium, a new outdoor theater, expanding park trails, all good projects that improve the quality of life for the people of Kent County and Grand Rapids. Sounds like good government is moving forward. They’re the people of Grand Rapids. Say the parks are important to them, so the people are indeed getting what they want.

And here’s something. I really appreciate it. We talked about good government and Walter Bujak said, well, the fact that I’m sitting here on your show means something. It does. It means good government is alive and well in Grand Rapids. Well, that’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like us and share this with your friends and reviewers right here where you’re listening.

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**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.