The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners held an Aug. 28 special session to discuss what Chairman Ty Wessell called “the single most important responsibility we have”: finding a new county administrator.
County officials now seek to choose someone after the Nov. 5 general election results are certified, so newly elected board members can be invited to participate in the conversation, but before the New Year.
The board voted 4-1 to have Interim Administrator Richard Lewis assist with the hiring of a new administrator using the services of the Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI), continuing the contract with the firm that they signed earlier this year. The board set a goal of completing the search process by Dec. 31.
Board Vice Chairman Doug Rexroat was absent and did not participate in the vote. Commissioner Kama Ross voted “no,” citing concerns with her “personal schedule as a commissioner and a candidate” in the Nov. 5 general election.
The search process should not conflict with officials campaigning for re-election, however. The six currently serving commissioners plan to wait until after the elections are over before resuming the search. At least four new board members will be elected, and they feel they should have a say in the matter.
Two commissioners are not running for re-election, a third lost her party’s nomination in the August primary election, and a fourth resigned from her position in July and left her seat vacant. The three remaining commissioners will face challengers from the opposing political party in November.
Once the election results are certified and the makeup of the next board is determined, the newly elected commissioners will be invited to participate in special meetings to choose the candidates and interview them.
Ross maintained that this schedule was “going to be taxing.” Commissioner Melinda Lautner criticized her for this, claiming that Ross once confronted former Commissioner Jamie Kramer about not making time for county board meetings. Ross countered by citing her attendance record over the last two years.
“I have only missed two public hearings as a commissioner. I make this a priority, but it’s going to be a struggle for me,” Ross said.
The board approved their administrator search contract with the MLI at their Feb. 20 regular meeting. Per the terms of the contract, the MLI consultant – former Leelanau County Administrator Chet Janik – will continue assisting with the search for the next county administrator until they find a suitable candidate for the position.
According to Lewis, this agreement is still effective, and the county does not need to pay additional money to the MLI for Janik to seek out another pool of applicants. Per the February contract, the consultant is providing its services for $4,500, plus direct expenses not to exceed $1,000.
The previous full-time county administrator, Deb Allen, left her position in April. Allen left to make way for someone with a “deep” financial background, as the county was looking to combine the administrator with a new chief financial officer (CFO) position. At one point, Janik hoped to find a replacement by late May.
After interviews concluded in June, they were not prepared to offer the position to any of the 40 potential candidates. Because of these difficulties, the board decided they no longer want an administrator/CFO and have reverted the job title back to just “administrator.”
Lewis has been serving as interim administrator since Allen stepped down in April. The board extended Lewis’s contract through May 31, 2025, or until a new administrator is hired, at their Aug. 20 regular session.
During the Aug. 28 special session, the board also approved the creation of a new facilities director position, a full-time position under the county administrator. According to leelanau.gov, the county is seeking qualified candidates for this position, which has a salary compensation range of $82,628.83 to $90,465.75.
The board also approved changing the position of maintenance director to maintenance supervisor upon the retirement of the current maintenance director, Jerry Culman, in January. Culman is Leelanau County’s longest-serving maintenance worker and announced that he would be retiring late last year.
