OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners is offering an end of employment for a pair of administrative officers whose hirings were controversial.
At Tuesday’s meeting the board approved a “separation and release agreement” for both Ottawa County Senior Executive Aide Jordan Epperson and Deputy County Administrator Ben Wetmore, who is also serving as interim county administrator.
The approval comes after the board went behind closed doors for several hours to discuss each staff member.
“To consider the dismissal, suspension, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, or to consider a periodic personnel evaluation of, a public officer, employee, staff member, or individual agent,” the board's meeting agenda shows.
The requests came from both Epperson and Wetmore. Exact details of the agreements were not made public. FOX 17 is working to learn the terms of the offers.
Hiring Controversies
Both of the candidates were hired by former County Administrator John Gibbs, who was fired in February.
The county's hiring of Epperson led to an age discrimination lawsuit by another applicant.
Records released after Gibbs' termination showed the then-county administrator wanted Epperson for the role because he could be “bossed around.”
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The county settled the lawsuit with a $225,000 payout.
Wetmore was approved narrowly to bethe interim county administrator back in mid-October. He is also the board president of conservative media organization, Project Veritas.
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The organization is known for "hidden camera stings" targeting traditional news outlets and Democratic politicians, according to the Associated Press.
It is unclear whether Epperson or Wetmore accepted the separation terms.
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