During the October 16, 2024, Ottawa County Board of Commissioner (OCBOC) meeting, in one motion the board voted (6-5) to make Deputy County Administrator Ben Wetmore the Interim County Administrator and clarify the power of the county administrator. Former County Administrator John Gibbs was placed on administrative leave in February 2024 and later relieved of his duties. Jon Anderson was appointed Interim County Administrator in March 2024 and served until he submitted his resignation in October.
Several people who gave public comment, as well as the five board members who voted against the motion expressed, their concerns. At issue was the selection of Ben Wetmore to the position as well as the following paragraph in the resolution:
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Interim County Administrator shall direct the operations and supervise the performance of all County departments and department heads, and is the final authority for decisions related to employee behavior, discipline, selection, appointment, removal, and policy enforcement, however, this authority shall not apply to elected officials or officials that have been appointed by the Board of Commissioners”
Commissioner Doug Zylstra suggested the motion should agree with the job description for the county administrator position which reads, (49:23) “The county administrator shall supervise the operations and performance of all county departments and department heads except corporate council and elected officials and their officers, and with the approval of the board appoint and remove all heads of departments other than elected officials.”
The other commissioners agreed that the resolution and job description should match, but disagreed on which version to incorporate. Some commissioners believed the resolution increased the power of the county administrator by granting him authority over all employees while removing the requirement of board approval for decisions, but other commissioners believed the language was merely a clarification.
Commissioner Roger Bergman agreed with commissioner Zylstra and was concerned that the resolution gives the interim county administrator disciplinary and dismissal authority over all county employees (52:30). Board Chair Joe Moss explained (54:30) that the language in the motion clarifies the role of the administrator.
Commissioner Zylstra also drew attention to the removal of the phrase “with the approval of the board,” and suggested the board was giving up a right. Board Vice Chair Sylvia Rhodea explained (58:10) that the board has historically not always given approval when department heads are hired. She suggested the language in the motion was more desirable and also in line with board practice stating, “That authority belongs with the administrator, not at the board level.”
Commissioner Gretchen Cosby explained (1:05:30) that in many ways the county administrator role is similar to the role of a CEO. While on special occasion the administrator may need to make a dismissal or disciplinary decision, “the heads of the departments are responsible for their employees.”
After a proposed amendment to the resolution was voted down, the focus was on Wetmore as a candidate. During public comment Becky Patrick of Allendale, who is also a commissioner candidate, speaking of Ben Wetmore stated, (27:50) “He has been publicly associated with multiple events in which people attempted to publicly trick or embarrass others for personal gain while surreptitiously filming them.”
Dan Zimmer, another individual who gave public comment, was concerned about Wetmore’s involvement with Project Veritas and the Gateway Pundit (41:00), but he was not the only one. Karen Obits stated (44:00), “I recall reading articles that stated he was an attorney by profession, but there seems to be little evidence of a successful law career. There was however, extensive history of political activism; including an association with The Gateway Pundit and Project Veritas.”
Commissioner Jacob Bonnema took an opportunity to express his opinion, (1:10:50) “This decision is a very big decision. It holds a lot of power. It demands a lot of trust Mr. Wetmore. You will have access to people’s personal information; a lot of private content that a lot of people don’t trust you to have access to. I expect you, should this vote go your way, to prove all of these department heads wrong, because as I reached out to multiple department heads today to ask them ‘Do they trust you in this position?’ I could not find a single one that said that they did. That is a critical failure of leadership on your part since you have been in this building for the months that you have.” A few minutes later Commissioner Bonnema added (1:20:15) “We need someone who our county employees want to follow. They do not want to follow Mr. Wetmore. They do not trust him.”
Vice Chair Sylvia Rhodea countered, (1:20:45) “I would just note that the county government exists for the people. The people do not exist for county government. It is our job to appoint an interim administrator who will do the best job for the people of Ottawa County; not an interim county administrator who will make the bureaucracy the happiest.”
The OCBOC is currently in the process of hiring a County Administrator. They have formed an Executive Transition Committee and hired a firm to assist with the search. Links to their meetings, agendas and meeting packets can be found here.