The Northport Village Council will enter into contract negotiations with Jerred Ottenwess to serve as the next village manager. Council trustees deliberated and voted 4-1 for Ottenwess over the other manager finalist, Douglas Dorando, at its regular meeting on Thursday.
Ottenwess has over 13 years of experience working in local government and in city manager roles, but currently works as a mortgage home officer for Direct Home Mortgages. Before shifting career paths, he served as the city manager in Keego Harbor for a year, and as the city manager for Traverse City from July 2013 to March 2015. He was also the city manager for several years up north in Ishpeming and in Trenton, Florida.
Trustee Hugh Cook first made the motion to go into contract negotiations with Ottenwess on Thursday, with trustee Laura Cavendish supporting. Cook, as well as several other council members, said he felt like they had “two very strong candidates,” but after talking with staff and considering how both interviews went, he thought Ottenwess was the better option. Cavendish agreed, explaining how they had “outstanding candidates” from the get-go.
“I think the two that we moved on to finalists are both extremely skilled and would both be able to do the job really effectively,” Cavendish said Thursday. “I really feel like after the second round, to me, Jerred seems really capable, ready to step in on day one with a lot of projects that we already have underway. I just feel like his questions back and forth were a little more in depth and I just feel like he’s ready to go.”
Trustee Edwin Dean, who was the one opposing vote, weighed in regarding Dorando and his expertise for the manager role, noting that Dorando’s back- ground as an attorney made him the better candidate of the two.
Cavendish added that the other role they need the manager to fill is as zoning administrator, and a certified planner, which Ottenwess has expertise in, is a qualification that helps to fulfill that need.
Trustee Susan Ager supported Ottenwess as the manager choice, but said she was concerned because he’s been away from the manager business for the last five years.
“That’s a concern but people who know how to ride a bicycle can ride a bicycle, so I’m willing to support him,” Ager said. “I was impressed by Douglas’s deep love of this community based on his family history here, and I thought that would be a plus for him coming in, and Jerred doesn’t know our village, but he will learn.”
Village council president Chris McCann said while he was only able to see the second round of interviews, he felt that Ottenwess seemed to be a bit more well-rounded in terms of having more experience of what the manager would actually deal with on a day-to-day basis.
“It’s not to say that the other candidate isn’t great, but you have to pick one,” McCann said. “So I think having the previous manager experience and dealing with staff, and again, the certified planner is a huge asset, that’s something we kind of struggled with the zoning kind of flopping around… I think he will service the village of Northport well.”
Current village manager Jim Dyer chimed in during discussion about the benefits of the candidates experience as well, adding that council members should support whoever is chosen for the role.
“The worst thing to start off in a job like this is to start off with a split vote,” Dyer said. “Listen to each other and consider what other people have said… Allow that manager to start off with the confidence that he has the support from all of the trustees.”
Dyer’s last day as village manager is set for March 28. In December, he accepted a oneyear employment contract to serve as the next full-time Leelanau County administrator starting March 31. Dyer, who has more than 30 years of experience as a municipal management professional, has served as the village manager for over a year now.
Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI) Consultant Chet Janik, who helped with the candidate search process, tuned in to the meeting via Zoom, and said once they work out the specifi cs of the employment contract, they can have a special meeting in the near future to approve the agreement.
