By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – A familiar face is coming back to lead Berrien County on an interim basis after the resignation of County Administrator Brian Dissette at the end of January.
Berrien County Commissioners have appointed retired Berrien County Prosecutor Mike Sepic as the interim county administrator. Sepic began his new duties Feb. 2 and will work on a part-time basis until a permanent administrator is hired.
Sepic retired as the county prosecutor in 2020 after over 30 years of service to the county. He joined the prosecutor’s office in 1988 and was appointed prosecutor in 2013 when then-Prosecutor Arthur Cotter was appointed a Berrien County trial judge. Sepic won re-election twice before deciding to retire in 2020.
Dissette announced in early January that he was resigning to become the deputy county administrator for Ottawa County. He and his family live in South Haven.
Sepic’s hiring as the interim county administrator was recommended by Commissioner Robert Harrison. Harrison chairs the county board’s personnel and human services committee and has been leading the effort to find both an interim and permanent administrator.
He reported in late January that he and his committee had received the names of a number of people including Sepic to consider for the interim administrator position.
The motion to hire Sepic was approved on a 9-1 vote with Commissioner Julie Wuerfel voting no and Board Chairman McKinley Eliott and Commissioner Alex Ott absent. Wuerfel had expressed concern about the process of selecting an interim administrator and said she would like to have a policy written down.
The resolution approved to hire Sepic stated that he will be paid $95 an hour and that he is expected to work between 20 and 30 hours a week until a permanent administrator is hired.
Wuerfel requested that the PHS Committee develop an interim hiring policy for the County Administrator and Interim Corporate Counsel for future use. There was consensus of the board for these policies to be created.
When asked by Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford about the next steps in searching for a permanent administrator. Harrison stated the plan is to retain a search firm to assist in the search and that the search could take two to four months.