By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – Berrien County Commissioners made it official last week as they signed a three-year contract with former Bridgman City Manager Juan Ganum to be the county’s next administrator.
Commissioners had voted earlier this month to enter into contract negotiations with Ganum after a six month search that saw a number of stops and starts along the way. The position came open in early February after Brian Dissette left the county after five and a half years to take a position in Ottawa County.
Ganum was one of two people interviewed by the board in July in the search’s third round. The other person interviewed was Brad Kluczynski. Kluczynski was most recently the manager of the Manistee County Road Commission. The board had previously offered the position in June to Greg Vlietstra of Kalamazoo but couldn’t come to contract terms with him.
While the vote to pursue a contract with Ganum wasn’t unanimous on Aug. 6, the Aug. 13 vote to sign the contract with him was unanimous. Commissioner Sharon Tyler had expressed concerns on Aug. 6 about Ganum’s selection and the need to do a more thorough vetting of him but voted last week to hire him.
The resolution was recommended by the board’s Personnel and Human Services Committee last week states that Ganum will have a starting salary of $165,000 plus benefits with percentage increases in line with other appointed county officials each January.
The term of the contract will run through Sept. 30, 2029 and Ganum is scheduled to start his new position Sept. 14. The contract is also contingent upon satisfactory background check results.
Interim County Administrator Mike Sepic spoke about the selection at the end of last week’s board meeting. The retired county prosecutor has been fulfilling the county administrator duties since early February and last week offered to stay on the job an extra week to help Ganum get settled.
“It’s my opinion that you made a terrific choice in Juan Ganum,” Sepic told commissioners. “I’m expressing a willingness to overlap one week (after Ganum starts) if that’s something agreeable to the board.”
Sepic said it’s notable that Ganum’s start date coincides with the week of budget presentations by department heads. “It might be awkward but it’s also a good way to meet department heads,” he said.
County Board Chairman McKinley “Mac” Elliott agreed. “It’s sort of a baptism by fire but it’s a good way to get in contact with people in the different departments,” he said.
PHS Chairman Robert Harrison said the previous week that the search committee and the majority of the board found Ganum to be the right choice for the job given his education, experience and familiarity with the county.
“His familiarity with the county and experience were the main factors for us,” Harrison said then. “It was not only his education but his knowledge of the cities and the county. He’s been on a number of taskforces and has also worked with other elected officials.”
Ganum graduated from Michigan State University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in social science, urban and regional planning. He later received his master’s degree in public administration from Western Michigan University in 2007.
In addition to his 10 year tenure as the city manager for the city of Bridgman, Ganum was the community development director for the city of Niles from 1998 to 2015 and before that was an associate program manager for the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission from 1995 to 1998.