By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – Berrien County Commissioners are a step closer to having a new county administrator after setting interview times for four candidates. The four were chosen by the board’s search committee from a field of 36 applicants.
Brian Dissette resigned as county administrator at the end of January after serving five and a half years in that position. Retired County Prosecutor Mike Sepic has stepped in since then as the interim administrator.
The search is being conducted by the Michigan Leadership Institute. The county set an initial deadline of mid-April for applications but extended the deadline to May 21 after the search committee did not find enough candidates for a first round of interviews.
Search committee member Robert Harrison reported last week that the committee reviewed 12 applications and narrowed the field down to four individuals they want to interview. He noted that a number of the applicants didn’t meet the minimum qualifications of a bachelor’s or higher degree in public administration and 10 years experience in government.
Harrison said that interviews with the four candidates are scheduled for June 11, with the board’s regular meeting that day canceled to conduct the interviews. Each interview is scheduled for an hour starting at 10 a.m. with a half hour break for lunch at noon.
Michigan Leadership Institute consultant Chet Janik said that Joshua Eggleson will be interviewed at 10 a.m., Greg Vlietstra at 11 a.m., Howard Fink at 12:45 p.m., and Kipling Belcher at 1:45 p.m.
Harrison said a second round of interviews will be conducted after that date and will involve more in-depth questions as well as breakout sessions with county employees and other elected county officials. He said that questions will be asked by the county’s Human Resources Director Kristin Reynolds.
Harrison and County Board Vice-Chair Teri Freehling asked fellow commissioners to contact Reynolds if they have specific questions they want her to ask. Harrison said that Janik will also offer some questions the board could ask.
Freehling said the candidates will be asked the same questions in the interest of fairness. “I’m excited that we’re at this point in the process,” she said.
County staff provided background information on the four candidates.
Eggleston is the Zeeland Township Manager, a position he’s held since August 2024. Previously, he was the city manager in Wayland for six years and held other administrative posts in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin back to 2006. He listed his strengths as budget preparation and management, capital improvement founding, labor negotiations and ethical community leadership.
Greg Vlietstra is the chief administrative officer of the Central County Transportation Authority in Kalamazoo County, a position he’s held for 10 years. His previous experience include other positions in Kalamazoo County government, the Galesburg-August schools and the city of Portage. He has a wide range of experience in business and fiscal management as well as general government.
Fink has been the interim administrator of the Kalamazoo Lake, Sewer and Water Authority in Saugatuck since last August. He previously was the Park Township manager for eight years, and also held similar posts in Michigan and Indiana dating back to 2006. He noted that township and county government require similar skills of coordination and collaboration.
Belcher is a retired detective first lieutenant from the Michigan State Police. He was also one of three candidates interviewed a year ago for the Cass County Administrator position but did not get the job.
He described himself as a “non-traditional” candidate for the job but also noted his decades of leadership experience in a variety of circumstances. He said the greatest highlight of his career so far has been to see people he nurtured advance to command and executive positions.
He said he will work collaboratively with county employees and county commissioners as well as the general public to safeguard the county’s fiscal solvency and secure the trust of county residents to use private and public resources.