OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The man who could not work with the last Ottawa County administrator will now lead the county's day-to-day operations.
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners moved to hire Patrick Waterman as its next county administrator.
The final vote on Friday, September 12 split the board: seven yes votes and four nos. The four commissioners affiliated with the Ottaw Impact political action group opposed Waterman's hiring.
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In 2022, Waterman resigned as deputy administrator seven months after an Otawa Impact-majority board fired then-Administrator John Shay and hired John Gibbs as county administrator.
Waterman followed Shay, who was hired as Wyoming's city manager, taking the deputy city manager position. For the past three years he oversaw multiple departments in Wyoming, a city of more than 77,000. Along with him time in Ottawa County, Waterman also served as City Manager of Hudsonville.
In his interviews with community leaders and commissioners, Waterman emphasized his priorities of connecting communities, sustainable growth management and strategic planning. Some of the challenges in Ottawa County he identified include affordable housing, retaining workers, and groundwater levels.
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners still needs to set contract terms with Waterman. Should he take the job, it will end a year and a half of the administrator role being empty. Gibbs was fired on February 29, 2024. Since then commissioners started three hiring attempts. This third try would be the first to result in a job offer to a candidate.
Waterman's start date with Ottawa County was not announced.
READ: Patrick Waterman's application for Ottawa County administrator
