Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs wants control over communications with public, press

Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs listens during a meeting at the Ottawa County Administration Building in West Olive on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)

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OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – Ottawa County’s relatively new administrator wants an upgraded communications leader who will oversee messaging to the public and press by the county’s various departments.

The request to upgrade the current full-time communications manager in the administrator’s office to a communications director at an annual cost of about $20,000 is set to go before the Ottawa County board’s Finance and Administration Committee at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 6, for initial approval.

“Although the county currently has a communications manager, the county has no communications director, through whom outgoing county communications from the various departments are coordinated, who serves as the coordinator and point of contact for county communications,” Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs wrote in a memo to the committee on the request.

Gibbs said the upgraded position is in line with best practices, as other organizations similar in size to Ottawa County have a communications director. It also paves the way for the creation of a county communications department, he said.

The request comes amid a recent report that Gibbs is seeking a tighter grip over how a number of county departments interact with the public and press. Some county departments, such as parks and public health, have their own spokespeople.

Throughout April and May, county administration has been rolling out new rules for select county departments, essentially requiring those department heads and spokespersons to seek approval from Gibbs’ office before communicating with the public and press, according to emails obtained by the Holland Sentinel.

Those new rules include:

  • Having Gibbs review all press releases at least 24 hours in advance of publication
  • Implementing management of all social media posts by Gibbs’ office
  • Centralizing communications through Gibbs’ office and requiring coordination of all media interviews through administrative communications manager Shannon Felgner prior to answering any questions

MLive/The Grand Rapids Press has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the emails.

Felgner told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press that she wasn’t able to speak to the Holland Sentinel report but that she has asked all departments who report to Gibbs to send public communications to her for review.

She said the rationale for the move is “unified and consistent messaging, shared resources and tools, improved information sharing across the organization and increased ability to reach more county residents by utilizing and ensuring best practices.”

Embattled Ottawa County Health Officer Adeline Hambley asked for her department to be exempt from the new rules, according to the Holland Sentinel. Hambley is currently suing the county board for attempting to fire her without cause, which is required by state law.

In a statement to MLive/The Grand Rapids Press, Ottawa County Health Department Public Information Officer Alison Clark said the department has a state-mandated duty to prevent disease, prolong life and promote public health.

Providing timely and accurate information is crucial to that duty, she said.

“Providing relevant and accurate information to the public and media, and providing prompt responses to inquiries about public health, disease prevention, and health threats is crucial to the health and safety of our community,” Clark said. “The Ottawa County Department of Public Health will continue to carry out our duties and responsibilities, as outlined here, to assure conditions that promote and protect health for everyone in Ottawa County.”

A majority of the county’s 11-member board of commissioners are part of a far right group called Ottawa Impact that was seated Jan. 3. The group campaigned last year on frustrations over the county’s COVID-19 mask mandate in schools.

Ottawa Impact board members have made a number of controversial changes to Ottawa County government since taking office, including the ongoing attempt to fire Hambley and replace her with a candidate more politically aligned with the board majority’s opposition to COVID-19 masking.

Related: Ottawa County prosecutor to continue enforcing all state laws after ‘constitutional county’ vote

The new board also hired Gibbs on Jan. 3 in a surprise move that saw him immediately replace then-County Administrator John Shay.

Gibbs has stepped in before to control messaging from some of the county’s departments.

In February, the Ottawa County Health Department was facing criticism by conservatives for being listed as a “partner” with sex education week at Grand Valley State University.

The event featured discussions about sex toys as well as about sexual health and relationships. It also featured free sexually transmitted infection testing and a “kinky karaoke” event.

Ottawa County Board Chair and Ottawa Impact leader Joe Moss, in an interview with West Michigan conservative media personality Justin Barclay, said his constituents were “not happy” with the health department’s association with the event and called for accountability.

Clark issued a statement to MLive/The Grand Rapids Press explaining that the health department’s role was limited to STI testing and providing condoms. The department requested its logo be removed as a “partner” as it isn’t a sponsor, financial or otherwise, of the event, Clark said.

After providing the statement, Clark asked for it to be retracted. When asked why, she said the retraction was at Gibbs’ request and did not elaborate further.

If approved by the board of commissioners, the new communications director would be the second position in the county administration to get an upgrade since Gibbs’ hiring.

In March, commissioners narrowly approved upgrading an existing executive assistant job in the administrator’s office to a higher paying senior executive aide at the cost of about $37,000 more annually.

At the time, Gibbs said he needed the upgraded assistant position “to ensure things are firing on all cylinders.”

“There is a lot to do in this position, it’s drinking from a firehose,” Gibbs said. “This kind of position hasn’t been here in the past, but I think this is necessary.”

The Ottawa County administrator’s office is currently served by a secretary, a management analyst, communications manager, deputy county administrator and senior executive aide.

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