Deputy administrator promoted as interim Ottawa County leader, despite mistrust claims

espite claims that he lacks trust from Ottawa County department supervisors, county Deputy Administrator Ben Wetmore was appointed Wednesday as the county's interim top executive.

Ottawa County commissioners, in a 6-5 contentious vote, decided to make Wetmore the interim Ottawa County administrator after the former interim administrator resigned Sunday.

Commissioners took the vote during a special meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Commissioner Jacob Bonnema, representing the Zeeland area, was among those who voted no and claimed that Wetmore lacks trust among county department heads.

"As I reached out to multiple department heads today and asked them 'Do they trust you in this position?' I did not find a single one who said they did. That is a critical failure of leadership on your part since you've been in this building for the months that you have," Bonnema said.

Related: Ottawa County leaders want to promote deputy administrator, but critics concerned

Wednesday's vote was split along political affiliation lines, with those associated with the highly conservative platform Ottawa Impact voting in support of Wetmore.

Wetmore was hired as deputy administrator in November 2023 and became second-in-command to then-Administrator John Gibbs. Gibbs was subsequently fired in late February for misconduct, but county leaders did not choose Wetmore at that time as interim administrator.

Instead, they voted in March to hire a retired Riverside, Calif. sheriff's captain, Jon Anderson, to serve as the interim chief. Anderson resigned from the role on Sunday.

County Board Chair Joe Moss, during Wednesday's special meeting, said he didn't want to ask Wetmore in March to become interim administrator because he already was involved in budget matters and they were fortunate to find Anderson, who he described as a top-level administrative experience.

Wetmore now will serve as interim county administrator as Moss and a special committee look to find a new permanent administrator. They are working with the Grand Rapids search firm, W Talent Solutions, although the search is in its beginning stages.

Moss disputed Bonnema's characterization of Wetmore.

"He has fulfilled every single task he's been asked to do. He's a loyal, valued employee. We really appreciate him working for Ottawa County," he said.

Wetmore spoke to media briefly Wednesday after his appointment to the interim administrator role.

He also said he's not aware of any trust issues with employees.

"It's news to me. I hope it's not true," he said.

When asked about his involvement as board president at Project Veritas - a far-right activist organization that has been known for producing reports that, in some cases, tried to discredit mainstream media - he shifted the discussion to public distrust in media.

"I think it's because people don't trust journalists, right. And there's probably a good reason they don't trust journalists because it's not fair and accurate news all the time," he said.

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