Latest news with #Teeples
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ottawa County commissioners hold off on administrator decision
OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — With all but one finalist having dropped out of the running to be the next Ottawa County administrator, the Board of Commissioners did not make a decision on hiring Thursday. The board with U.S. Army Col. Michael Tremblay, speaking to him for about a 1.5 hours. But the board was not prepared to vote on whether or not to hire him, with commissioners saying they wanted time to consider next steps and additional candidates. The the search will resume during the board's June 24 meeting. The it wanted to pick a candidate this month, with the goal of the new administrator starting in late July or early August. It's unclear whether that timeline is still viable. Tremblay told commissioners he thinks he would be a good fit for the job, but acknowledged their 'demanding job' with 'a lot of competing interests.' 'You're going to go back and make a decision, drive on. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. And if ultimately decide to go a different way or do something else, I totally get that, too,' he said. 'I will tell you this: I think I would do a great job for Ottawa County. I think I do a great job for the commissioners. I think I do a great job for the county.' 1 candidate remains as Ottawa County seeks new administrator He was the only remaining finalist after four others pulled their names from consideration. Mark Eisenbarth, currently the Muskegon County administrator, withdrew Tuesday. Glen Salyer, currently a deputy county administrator in Florida, withdrew Monday. 'We lost four candidates and maybe one left … because of how we acted in our board meeting last week, but the others did not. There were legitimate reasons why people withdrew. And so among the board commissioners and throughout the community, nobody should be pointing fingers at anybody about where we are,' Board Chair John Teeples said. The the board's June 4 meeting was contentious as commissioners disagreed about whether discussion of a number of administrator candidates should be in public or in closed session. 'Nobody has a right to take credit. Nobody has a right to point (fingers). This is just part of the process, I think, and circumstances the way they are. So I think from that standpoint, we could all just take a breath, right? Remember we're on a common cause to find the absolute best under the circumstances,' Teeples said Thursday. Nearly all the board members are Republicans, but they are split into two factions. One is members backed by conservative political action committee Ottawa Impact. The other is Republicans unaffiliated with that group and includes . 'The last two times, we've lost a lot of candidates. And I think we, as a board, have a responsibility,' Teeples said. 'We are the face of the county and how we act gets out on social media, it's in the newspapers, it's in the national press. We need to be leaders that that that people can't go on YouTube and say, 'I don't want to go there.' We think, we all believe that Ottawa County is the plum colony of the state of Michigan. But people coming from the outside, they may not see that in us because of how we as a commission act.' 'I think our community needs to see us start to get along so that we can heal this county and have be less divisive,' he added. Ottawa County has been since February 2024, when then- board Chair Joe Moss and Ottawa Impact , whom they had during their first meeting in January 2023. Jon Anderson, a candidate for sheriff last year, filled the role on an interim basis before in October 2024. Deputy Administrator temporarily stepped in before he reached a severance agreement with the board in December. Gary Rosema, a former Ottawa County sheriff, has been since January. He said all along he would not take the job long-term and hoped to be done in about six months. The next county administrator will make between $200,000 and $260,000, according to a job description shared with commissioners in April. —News 8's Byron Tollefson contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ottawa County won't take legal action to stop coal plant closure
OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — In a split vote among its two factions, Ottawa County commissioners decided not to take legal action to try to prevent Consumers Energy's last coal-fired power plant from closing. The vote Tuesday was 7-4, failing the motion to pursue legal resolution did not specify who would be the target of any possible litigation. Commissioner Allison Miedema, who proposed the resolution, said that was intentionally left broad so legal counsel wouldn't be limited in their options. Consumers Energy is in Port Sheldon Township on May 31 and eventually demolish it as part of a transition to renewable energy. The plant will close years earlier than originally planned. Earlier this year, the Ottawa County board asked the Michigan Public Service Commission to reconsider its after from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation suggested the power grid around the Midwest is at high risk for blackouts because new energy sources aren't keeping pace with generator shutdowns. Undeterred, Consumers said things will be fine because a new natural gas plant in Covert Township and two facilities will meet the need. During public comment Tuesday, some people urged the board to go forward with legal action. 'Before putting our grid system at risk of not being able to meet demands, I urge the board to do everything in its power' to prevent the closure, one person said. Ottawa County considers legal action to prevent coal plant closure While several commissioners still have concerns about closing the plant years earlier than planned, in the end, not enough of them favored going to the courts to try to keep it open. 'How can we prudently say we're going to give a blank check to our litigators and move ahead without a full analysis of this case?' Board Chair John Teeples said. 'I think it's imprudent. I think it's impulsive.' 'I was a little surprised, though there might be a couple more people who would like to take the next step to exercise our constitutional authority,' Commissioner Joe Moss said. 'There is a strong sense among board members to actually delay the closure and retake a fresh look at the information.' Before the vote, Moss had asked Teeples whether he would support litigation if the cost of any legal work was be capped at $20,000 or $40,000, for example. 'There's no sense wasting any more taxpayer dollars on this,' Teeples said. 'I'd say no. I think the county's done enough.' Moss countered that it could be worth it. 'I would much rather spend a small amount of money now than not be able to in a month and a half,' Moss said. Canadian company tapped to handle coal ash left by Campbell power plant Commissioners say the Trump administration is looking into this and could get involved. 'I think we're going to have much more satisfactory movement there than entering into an expensive additional litigation,' Commissioner Jacob Bonnema said. Moss said he hoped litigation could spur action by the Trump administration. Still, he remained unsure what authority or impact the federal government could have on the project and if it would be able to act fast enough, especially with the clock ticking. 'We have a very short timeline until the early closure occurs,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
