OTTAWA COUNTY — Less than six months after being appointed Ottawa County sheriff and a month after losing the primary election for Ottawa County sheriff, Jon Anderson has resigned as interim Ottawa County administrator.
Anderson filed a brief notice with the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners on Friday, September 6, officially notifying his intention to resign.
“The purpose of this memorandum is to send my final letter of resignation as Interim County Administrator. With your approval, my last day with the county will be Friday, October 4, 2024. I have accepted an offer from my previous employer. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as Interim County Administrator for Ottawa County,” the letter reads in its entirety.
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Anderson was named interim administrator on March 12, replacing John Gibbs, who was fired on February 29. Gibbs was hired on January 3, 2023, as one of the first commissioners to join Ottawa Impact.
The board was split on Anderson’s nomination, with an initial vote resulting in five commissioners, all affiliated with Ottawa Impact, voting for Anderson and four others voting for Fiscal Services Director Karen Karasinski. Two commissioners were absent. Other proposed candidates were Director of Strategic Impact Paul Sachs and Deputy Administrator Ben Wetmore.
At the time of his appointment, Anderson was seeking the Republican nomination for Ottawa County Sheriff. He lost to Eric DeBoer, who is now running unopposed in November. The Ottawa Impact commissioners effectively lost their majority on the board in the primary, as not enough of them were on the ballot in November to retain it.
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Anderson is a retired sheriff’s captain with 32 years of law enforcement experience. He has lived in Michigan for eight years and Ottawa County for the past five years. He is co-owner of Bullet Hole Firearms and Training in Holland.
It is unclear how quickly the board will be ready to select a new interim or permanent director.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Jon Anderson steps down as interim Ottawa County administrator
