OLIVE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Oct. 25, 2023) – After two days and a total of 14 hours of testimony, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners agreed unanimously on Wednesday evening to adjourn a special meeting convened to consider the dismissal of the county’s Administrative Health Officer Adeline Hambley.
The two sessions came at the request of some board members, led by Chairman Joe Moss of Hudsonville, to remove Hambley from her office 10 months after she had been appointed by the previous county board. The petition centered on actions and statements the officer had made since she had filed a lawsuit against the board and the county over an initial attempt to remove her during the initial administrative meeting on January 3rd.
During the course of the testimony in this meeting, details surrounding the hiring of 23-year-old Jordan Epperson as the executive aide to County Administrator John Gibbs were disclosed. That led to a lawsuit filed against the county and Gibbs by Ryan Kimball, claiming that he was bypassed for the position despite a claim of better credential because of his age of 49, which the litigation states is a violation of Michigan’s Elliott-Larson Civil Rights Act.
This special meeting on Hambley’s position will resume on Monday at 8 AM in the administration room of the Fillmore Street complex in West Olive, with a live stream via the county’s YouTube Channel.
