Right-wing county board comes to regret hiring ultra-MAGA administrator: report

An election-denying county administrator hand-picked by a far-right activist group was placed on indefinite leave after he threatened legal action if he was fired by a Michigan county board.

The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners voted to place administrator John Gibbs, a failed Republican congressional candidate endorsed by Donald Trump, on paid leave Thursday after just over a year on the job, reported MLive.

Gibbs was picked for the position by Joe Moss and Sylvia Rhodea, the founders of the right-wing Ottawa Impact group that knocked seven Republicans off the board of commissioners with their preferred candidates and set about remaking the reliably conservative county to reflect their own extremist views.

They immediately eliminated the county's Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and changed the county motto from "Where You Belong" to "Where Freedom Rings." They then fired longtime county corporation counsel Doug Van Essen just short of his planned retirement and tried to demote health officer Adeline Hambley, MLive reported.

Gibbs, who has a long history of controversial and bizarre statements, failed to win over other commissioners, and one of them filed a formal complaint after a verbal altercation with the administrator, reported the Holland Sentinel.

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An investigation by an outside legal firm concluded evidence did not support the harassment claim or violate county policies or applicable laws, and Moss later censured Jacob Bonnema for filing the complaint.

Gibbs antagonized Bonnema and other commissioners not affiliated with Ottawa Impact by interrupting them in meetings and refusing to answer their questions, and the Sentinel reported that Moss and Rhodea continued to back him until last month, when his personal attorney threatened Moss with a lawsuit if the board or its lawyers "get creative" with any attempts to fire the administrator.

The attorney's letter came ahead of a planned closed-door session to discuss an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the finalist for an executive aide position to Gibbs, who directed the human resources manager to hire a 23-year-old recent college graduate, Jordan Epperson who had fewer qualifications than the county required in its job posting but had links to far-right election deniers.

Gibbs has a clause in his contract that allows him to be terminated at any time for cause, "defined as intentional fraud, dishonesty, gross misconduct, or willful malfeasance," but he may be fired without cause if the board provides a 90-day written notice.

If he's fired, Gibbs would receive a lump sum severance payment of nine months' salary and health insurance, but if he's fired for cause he gets no severance.

Gibbs offered to resign in exchange for $630,000, and Moss mentioned during the latest meeting that $420,000 would be acceptable, MLive reported. The board will consider his offer to step down at next week's meeting.

Holland area commissioner Doug Zylstra, the board's only Democrat, was the only one of 11 commissioners to vote against placing Gibbs on paid leave.