HOLLAND, Mich. — The Ottawa County Commission appointed an interim administrator to replace John Gibbs who was fired last month.
The county commission voted Tuesday 5 to 4 to appoint Jon Anderson to the position.
Anderson is running for county sheriff and co-owns Bullet Hole Firearms and Training in Holland.
He was up against three other candidates, including the current deputy administrator Ben Wentmore, a 22-year employee of the county named Paul Sachs and the county finance director Karen Karasinksi.
Andersen has not worked for the county but has 30 years of experience in law enforcement.
Several people were critical of the commission's process of appointing the interim administrator during public comment.
"I have learned that the input of a large segment of the population of this county is not welcome, that the board will make the decisions they will make regardless of the input of the citizens that do not slavishly back them and kiss their feet," Deanna Honor of Holland Township said.
"The commission will continue to make decisions not based on competence or merit or even ability of the candidate to meet the requirements of the job. They will continue to make hiring decisions based on vindictiveness, based on ideology, based on their narrow political concerns. Instead of what is best for the county," she said.
County Commissioner Doug Zylstra, who voted for Karen Karasinksi, says he hopes to see a smooth process of Anderson becoming interim county administrator, but says he was not made aware of Anderson as an applicant until Friday afternoon, and wishes there was a more open process for finding applicants from outside the county government.
"A lot of the comments made a lot of great points. You know, we received an email late afternoon on Friday, saying that Mr. Anderson was one of the four being considered and I was not aware of that. I was not made aware that we were looking for outside applicants. I definitely don't think there was any process for soliciting outside applicants. I wish there had been," said Zylstra.
Other community members also stated during public comment that they were unhappy about a lack of information of the applicants provided to the public.
"There were no names listed in the packet, no resumes attached. No information was sent out to the public via official channels. The public is left to guess, Google and come to our own conclusions," said Melanie Scholten from Park Township, urging commissioners to consider the people who have been working in the county for many years.
In a statement, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners says:
"The Board appointed Jon after listening to input from staff and community members, prioritizing experience in county-level government, proven leadership qualities, and administrative leadership. This appointment builds capacity and adds to the leadership team that serves individuals and families in Ottawa County."
Anderson spoke during the meeting and said he wants to work to build trust with the community in his role.
"Everyone has a right to their opinion. I certainly know that I hope to earn the trust and respect of people on the board and the public just as my actions," he said.
County Commission Chair Joe Moss has said it will likely take several months to hire a new, permanent administrator.
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