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Ottawa County terminates Administrator John Gibbs

The termination comes after controversy surrounded Gibbs. He was placed on administrative leave and was stripped of hiring powers last week.

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — In a meeting Thursday night the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners voted to terminate Administrator John Gibbs.

The motion made Thursday night:

"To terminate Mr. Gibbs contract with cause because the board has determined that Mr. Gibbs, in connection with the performance of his duties under the employment agreement had been dishonest, committed gross misconduct, and/or committed willful malfeasance."

Commissioner Doug Zylstra was the only commissioner who did not vote yes for that motion.

This comes after controversy surrounded Gibbs. He was placed on administrative leave and was stripped of hiring powers last week.

Also last week, Board Chair Joe Moss published a letter detailing a list of complaints filed against Gibbs.

Some of the complaints included threats of violence, making derogatory comments and hiding cameras in his office. You can find the full list of complaints here.

Gibbs responded to the list in a post of his own, calling the comments "false" and "defamatory."

Jesus spoke truth to power, in love, and faced the consequences. I will do the same.

Posted by John Gibbs for MI-03 on Wednesday, February 28, 2024

On Thursday night, commissioners asked their attorney to clarify if Gibbs was notified of the meeting that would ultimately end his tenure with the county. The attorney said they notified Gibb's attorney about the meeting, and their response was "thanks".

"I attempted to leverage my years of experience working under President Trump and Dr. Ben Carson to serve the Ottawa County commissioners in helping them develop good governance and a coherent policy agenda," reads Gibbs' post. "But my efforts were met only with derision and hostility, to the point that they turned on me, making up totally false, defamatory accusations against me that you now see in the news."

Gibbs issued a statement later Thursday. That full statement can be read below:

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