WEST OLIVE, Mich. — New Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs released a statement Friday morning, introducing himself to county residents and thanking them for the opportunity to serve.
Earlier this week, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners ousted its former county administrator, John Shay, and replace him with Gibbs.
Gibbs ran as a Republican in November for the Third Congressional District but lost the race to Democrat Hillary Scholten by 13 points. A small portion of the Third District includes Ottawa County.
In an email, Gibbs stated he is “excited to work with the great county staff, elected officials, and stakeholders to continue driving Ottawa County forward.”
Gibbs went on to provide background information about himself to recipients, discussing his work at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, his time working as a software engineer and his education history.
“I look forward to leveraging all aspects of the background God has given me to serve you with of all my energy and effort, in cooperation with the great Ottawa County staff, elected officials, and stakeholders,” Gibbs wrote. “I’m thankful for this opportunity to serve you - the hard-working families and businesses that make Ottawa County great.”
The move to replace Shay with Gibbs has led to controversy as the motion to hire Gibbs wasn’t on the board of commissioners’ meeting agenda.
A spokesperson for Attorney General Dana Nessel's office has confirmed to FOX 17 that the department is reviewing the recent actions of the Ottawa County Commission.
During the meeting on Tuesday, the board also voted to replace the county’s legal counsel and health department director. They also dismantled the county’s diversity and inclusion program, and changed the county’s slogan from “Where you Belong” to “Where Freedom Rings.”
Read John Gibbs's full email below:
Greetings from the County Administrator
I’m John Gibbs and I’m pleased to be your new Ottawa County Administrator. I’m excited to work with the great County staff, elected officials, and stakeholders to continue driving Ottawa County forward.
I’d like to tell you about myself.
In my most recent role as Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, I oversaw a staff of 700 and an annual budget of $8 billion, covering homelessness programs, economic development grants to states and counties, and disaster relief funding. I also oversaw the successful and rapid deployment of $9 billion in CARES Act Funds in response to coronavirus.
Prior to that, I used my fluency in Japanese to serve as a Christian missionary in Japan. One of my favorite memories was homeless outreach - the kind and polite Japanese were surprised and thankful to see a black American speaking to them in fluent Japanese.
Before Japan, I started my career in Silicon Valley as a software engineer, working on cybersecurity products at Symantec, working on smartphones at Palm, and working on the very first version of the iPhone at Apple.
I hold a degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School of government. I was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan.
I look forward to leveraging all aspects of the background God has given me to serve you with of all my energy and effort, in cooperation with the great Ottawa County staff, elected officials, and stakeholders.
I’m thankful for this opportunity to serve you - the hard-working families and businesses that make Ottawa County great.
Thank you for your prayers and support as we move forward together,
John Gibbs Ottawa County Administrator
