OTTAWA COUNTY, MI — Tensions briefly flared Wednesday as Ottawa County commissioners interviewed a former county employee for the long-vacant county administrator’s post.
The exchange came near the end of an interview with Patrick Waterman, the county’s former deputy administrator who resigned in July 2023 amid internal strife. At the time, Waterman was working under former Administrator John Gibbs, who was later fired in February 2024 for alleged misconduct before reaching a settlement that changed his record to a resignation.
Commissioner Joe Moss, who chaired the board in 2023-24 after the Ottawa Impact bloc gained control, made clear he opposed Waterman’s candidacy.
That prompted a sharp response from Commissioner Jacob Bonnema, a former Ottawa Impact ally who later broke from the group.
Waterman is one of five finalists for the administrator role, vacant since Gibbs’ departure.
The others include:
Kurt Dykstra, lawyer and former Holland mayor
Matthew Farrar, Muskegon County deputy administrator
Chris Kukulski, city administrator in Billings, Montana
Paul Sachs, Ottawa County director of strategic impact
When Waterman resigned in 2023, he cited “a lack of effective leadership and an eroding culture of employee trust.” He later testified in an October employment hearing that Gibbs sought to hire an underqualified 23-year-old aide because he could be “bossed around” — a hire that ultimately led to an age discrimination lawsuit.
Commissioners are expected to vote on the new administrator Friday, Sept. 12.
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