Getting our best candidate

This Tuesday, September 24, we will be voting an a Resolution to create an Executive Transition Committee for the position of County Administrator. This Committee will be composed of five members, Commissioners Cosby, Belknap , Moss, Rhodea, and Miedema. The Committee will be delegated the authority to:

A. Review and approve the job description for the County Administrator.
B. Review and approve the recruitment profile for the County Administrator.
C. Coordinate with county administration to post the job by October 1, 2024.
D. Make a public announcement regarding the job posting.
E. Engage an independent recruiting agency to assist with the search.
F. Receive and review applications.
G. Interview applicants, including public interviews for final candidates.
H. Make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners.

When we last performed the process of hiring a permanent administrator in 2021, we hired GovHR as our Executive Search firm through a public RFP process, and created a seven member Search Committee composed of three commissioners and four members of the public to help work with GovHR to establish and oversee the hiring process.

I am very concerned that the process being proposed this upcoming Tuesday is a very truncated one, and one that is only bringing in insights from certain members of the Board. I do not believe that is the intentional, balanced approach that Ottawa County residents wish for their new Administrator. It is my hope that we can have a search committee and process that brings in more voices and an established search firm in order to guarantee the Board the best possible candidate.