OLIVE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Nov. 22, 2024) – It looks as if Sparta’s Village Manager will be getting a bigger municipal government to handle soon.
The Ottawa County Board’s Executive Transition Committee on Thursday agreed to ask James Freed and James Lower back to the Fillmore Street Complex for a second round of interviews. Those two emerged after Tuesday’s sessions in which they, along with bank executive Christopher Estes and Ionia County Administrator Patrick Jordan, answered questions from Commissioner Roger Belknap and four other colleagues.
That second round of interviews was set for Friday morning, but the Holland Sentinel is reporting in Friday’s editions that Freed has withdrawn his name from consideration, saying that his current role as Port Huron’s city manager is too close to home and his family for him to pull up stakes and move across the state.
His statement from Tuesday’s interview with the committee may have been an indication of these sentiments.
Whether that second interview with Lower will be held as scheduled, whether the committee will reopen the process to Estes and Jordan, or whether the panel will recommend Lower to the entire board for consideration at this coming Tuesday evening’s business meeting remained to be seen as of Thursday night.
Ottawa County has not had a permanent administrator since John Gibbs was relieved of his duties on February 29th. Jon Anderson held the position on an interim basis before resigning last month, with Deputy County Administrator Ben Wetmore holding down the post at the present time.
The new administrator will hold the post for one year, until the newly comprised county board that is seated in January decides whether to extend the tenure or not.
Comments