Page 13 - Volume 28 Number 3

POLC/GELC Labor Rep. Keizer will be
remembered for building bridges
— By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor
POLC/GELC Labor Rep. Will Keizer has represented members for over two decades and during that time he has gone out of his way to build bridges between labor, management and the communities they serve.
Keizer said goodbye to fellow union members at the end of July, but his legacy continues as Gilda’s Run just celebrated its 18th An- niversary July 14, 2018. Keizer spearheaded the annual motorcycle poker run for charity, sponsored by the POLC and Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP). The event has raised over $222,000 for Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids, a non-profit cancer support agency.
“Gilda’s was a big (accomplishment) but I think overall what’s made me the most proud was to represent the men and women of the public safety community,” Keizer said. “That has been my great- est privilege.”
He said he will miss the camaraderie and “representing all my brothers and sisters.” “I’ve spent all of my adult life working in places or in positions where it was my duty to battle bullies and to not allow bullies to get the upper hand and I’ve really enjoyed it,” Keizer said.
Keizer was a Grand Rapids Police Officer for 12 years, retiring after being struck by a car while on duty. He spent 10 of those years as a POLC Steward. Some of his assignments included the Vice Unit, Michigan State Police Metro Enforcement Team and Grand Rapids Narcotics Detector Dog Handler. Prior to that he served in U.S. Ma- rine Corps Military Police for six years. For the past 11 years, he has been serving POLC and GELC members as a Labor Representative. The Lansing Community College police academy graduate attended many national training seminars on contract negotiations, collective bargaining, police power, politics and confrontation, supervision and problem solving, and police officers’ rights training. He also had ex- tensive “interest based bargaining” training at Grand Rapids through Wayne State University.
Will and his wife, Amy, are temporarily moving to Alabama near their son, Alex, who owns Blalock Seafood & Specialty Market Gulf
“i’ve spent all of my adult life working
in places or in positions where it was my duty to battle bullies and to not allow bullies to get the upper hand and i’ve really enjoyed it,” Keizer said.
Photo courtesy of Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids
Keizer, right, accepted an award from Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids representatives for the hundreds of thousands of dollars LEEP & POLC have raised for the cancer support agency.
Shores. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife and adult boys,” Keizer said, adding son Willie lives in San Diego and Jake in Wellington, New Zealand.
In Gulf Shores, Keizer will do some fishing and begin property hunting for homes in the Lower Keys of Florida where the couple plans to buy their retirement home or have one built. “I’m moving to the Keys and going fishing,” he said. “Some of my friends said it’s every cop’s dream to retire and go fishing,” he said. “I always thought a cop’s retirement dream was to own a bar, but nobody wants the fox in charge of the henhouse! Ultimately, my goal is to buy a bigger boat and get into running my own fishing charters.”
Keizer had some words of wisdom for new POLC/GELC Labor Rep- resentative David Thomas. “He’s just come out of law enforcement after 35 years, and we all tend to get a little bit hardened or jaded,” however, Keizer said, “You’ve sat in their seat, you’ve walked that beat and you understand. The key piece of advice I would give to any rep, who is starting, is be organized, compassionate and available. Your organizational skills are key in this line of work because you deal with timelines. When they call, you better pick up that phone. When they email, you respond. You get the work done and you get them what they need to be successful. If you have to work a 16-hour day, then so be it.”
Keizer won’t soon be forgotten, nor will he forget POLC & GELC members. “God’s blessings and safety to all who serve the public,” he said. d
www.polc.org • 13