HOLLAND, Mich. — After eight years leading Holland Township and decades serving West Michigan, Township Manager Steve Bulthuis will retire in June. His career in local government has spanned more than 30 years, beginning long before he stepped into the manager’s office.
Bulthuis, a lifelong West Michigander, first encountered local government as a high school student working at Holland City Hall.
WATCH: Holland Township Manager reflects on decades of service ahead of retirement
"My earliest exposure to local government was as a janitor at Holland City Hall," Bulthuis said. "Had an opportunity to be around the building and see all the various departments and what they do."
That early introduction sparked his interest in public service. He later worked as a health department code enforcement aide while attending Hope College.
"Being a code enforcement aide, I got to see that side of the business, but also got exposure to planning and zoning issues," he said. "That's really what spurred my interest in urban planning."
After graduating, Bulthuis served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Grand Rapids.
"That opened my eyes to a lot of urban issues," Bulthuis said. "I pursued a degree in urban planning after some time in the Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids, where I became interested in urban issues."
The only time he lived outside West Michigan was in Ann Arbor, where he earned his master’s degree from the University of Michigan and began his professional career with a council of governments. A job opportunity brought him home to the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, where he served for 22 years.
"Two projects that stand out during my time at the MACC was the establishment of the Macatawa Area Express, the transit authority for the Holland area," Bulthuis said. "Then also the construction of the River Avenue Bridge, now called the Unity Bridge, a major transportation thoroughfare in the community."
Bulthuis said he wanted to serve his community from a local government perspective and seized the opportunity to become Holland Township Manager.
"Local government is that level of government that is most accessible to the people," he said. "A resident can pick up the phone and talk to their chief elected official or the manager directly about a problem or concern that may be very important and very localized to them. That makes it very exciting."
During his tenure, he helped lead the construction of the Public Safety Building at 12169 James St., and the Holland Charter Township Community Center, which opened last year.
"Great vision that was put forward by the board, and they directed me to make that a reality. So again, through teamwork and working with various partners, in this case, working with the owners of the West Shore Mall and adaptive reuse of the Yonkers building. We were able to repurpose that space into a center that is really for everybody," Bulthuis said.
Through all the roles he has held, Bulthuis’ love for West Michigan and his hometown of Holland has remained constant.
"It's been a true joy to be able to serve this community and watch it grow and improve over the decades," he said. "It's been so gratifying to be able, hopefully, in some small way, to give back to this community that I love so much."
Bulthuis plans to spend his retirement traveling, enjoying time with his family and living “the lake life.”
"One of the great things we have here in West Michigan is Lake Michigan, and I love to be on, in or next to Lake Michigan," he said. "I plan on doing a whole lot more of that."
He encourages others in the community to find ways to give back.
"Just look for ways that you can help make your community a better place, and possibly that might be serving on a local governmental board or committee," Bulthuis said.
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