OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — We now know the five people in the running to be the next leader of Ottawa County's government.
On Friday the county's Board of Commissioners released the names of the finalists for the open administrator role, which were pulled from a pool of 58 applicants.
The candidates are: Paul Sachs, Matthew Farrar, Kurt Dykstra, Patrick Waterman, and Chris Kukulski.
Waterman previously served as Ottawa County's deputy administrator. He resigned in August 2023, citing an inability to work with then-Administrator John Gibbs. Waterman went on to take the deputy city administrator role with Wyoming, working with former Ottawa County administrator John Shay.
Sachs has worked for Ottawa County for more than two decades. He is currently the director for the Department of Strategic Impact and was previously considered to served as an interim county administrator.
Farrar is the current deputy administrator for Muskegon County.
Dykstra was Holland's mayor from 2009 to 2015.
Kukulski is the city manager for Billings, Montana and the only candidate who does not currently live in the state.
The five finalists are set to take part in a series of interviews next week. On Monday, September 8, they will face questions from professional and community partners starting at 9 a.m. Then on Wednesday, September 10, the board of commissioners will hold in-person interviews during a public meeting starting at 9 a.m.
Both sets of interviews will be live-streamed by the county.
Third time's the charm?
This will be the third time commissioners have moved forward with finalists for the county administrator position.
In November 2024, the initial effort to hire an administrator came to a halt just days after two finalists were announced. Both withdrew from consideration, sparking a war of words between current and recently elected county commissioners.
This summer the second attempt at a hiring process ended without a job offer.
The county administrator position has been empty since the board of commissioners fired John Gibbs on February 29, 2024.
WATCH: John Gibbs tells all after his firing
Three men have filled the role on an interim basis since. Jon Anderson was first, resigning in September before being convinced to come back, then ultimately stepping down in October. Deputy County Administrator Ben Wetmore then picked up the interim title before former Ottawa County Sheriff Gary Rosema was appointed in January.
At the time Rosema told FOX 17 he hoped to be in the role for only six months.
The extended search comes after a two-year term filled with controversies for the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners. When member of the Ottawa Impact group took control with a majority, they pushed through several changes, including firing the then-longtime administrator John Shay.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
