OLIVE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jun. 11, 2025) – The issue of trying to get a new full-time Administrator for Ottawa County continues to be a struggle for the Board of Commissioners.
On Tuesday, the county announced that two of the three finalists for the operational leadership position have withdrawn their names from consideration. No reason was officially given as to why Muskegon County Administrator Mark Eisenbart and the Deputy County Administrator for Lee County in Florida, Glen Salyer, decided not to continue pursuing the position, leaving just retiring US Army Officer Michael Tremblay to face questions in a public interview process on Thursday morning.
The county did say that Tremblay has past managerial experience as a Garrison Commander of a military base in South Korea, handling a $1.1 billion capital improvement budget, and overseeing major infrastructure development, among other responsibilities. These are attributes that District 4 Commissioner Jacob Bonnema of Zeeland says a successful Ottawa County Administrator will need.
Last week, the board settled on five unnamed finalists from around 30 qualified candidates who applied for the administrator’s position, with two of those five opting out before the three announced hopefuls were disclosed. The county has not had a permanent administrator since John Gibbs was relieved of his duties on February 29th of last year, with retired Sheriff Gary Rosema handling the operational leadership duties on an interim basis after an earlier administrator search late last year resulted in no candidates either being chosen or willing to remain in consideration.
The withdrawal of Eisenbart and Salyer means that a scheduled Wednesday meet-and-greet with county leaders, stakeholders and the public for the Administrator candidates has been canceled. The board may decide on whether to offer Tremblay the position following Thursday’s 9 AM public interview session in the County Administration Building in West Olive (12220 Fillmore St.).
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