By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – The search for a new Berrien County Administrator is entering the home stretch. Applications are due April 14 and interviews have been scheduled for the week of April 27.
The position has been open since the first of February when Brian Dissette left the job after five years as the county administrator. 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. Retired Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic has served as the interim county administrator since Dissette’s departure.
Berrien County Commissioner Robert Harrison has led the search for the new administrator at the county end, with the Michigan Leadership Institute hired to conduct the actual search. Harrison told fellow county commissioners in late March that three people had applied so far. He noted that Chet Janik from the Michigan Leadership Institute told him that he expected to get more applications closer to the April 14 deadline.
Harrison also outlined the interview schedule for the week of April 27. He said he was aware that a number of commissioners plan to attend the Michigan Association of Counties annual conference in the first part of that week so the plan would be to schedule interviews for Thursday and Friday of that week, April 30 and May 1.
A second round of interviews could be held the following week of May 4. The goal is to have someone hired and on the job in June or July.
The county administrator job has been posted on the county’s website as well as with the Michigan Leadership Institute. The application as well as information about the position and Berrien County as a whole is available on the county website.
Those interested in applying should send the filled out application, a cover letter and resume to Chet Janik of the Michigan Leadership Institute via email or regular mail. His email address is cjanikmli@geneseeisd.org. The mail address is Administrator Search c/o Chet Janik, Berrien County Human Resource Office, 701 Main St., St. Joseph MI 49085.
The salary range listed for the position is $160,000 to $180,000 depending on qualifications and experience. A minimum of 10 years of increasing responsible experience in public administration is required.
The position requires graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in public administration, business management, finance, law or other related field. A master’s degree is preferred.
The application materials on the county website also give a brief history of the county as well as current amenities. It notes that Berrien County was named after U.S. Attorney General John Berrien who served under President Andrew Jackson. Berrien County was founded in 1829 and organized in 1831. It has 22 townships, eight cities, and nine villages.