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Mortimer elected chair as Ottawa County commissioners set 2026 leadership
Summary
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners elected Scott Mortimer chair (2–1) and Duane Morris vice chair (3–0) at its Jan. 12, 2026 meeting, and moved through routine administrative appointments for the year.
Commissioner Scott Mortimer was elected chair of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 12, 2026, in a 2–1 vote after Commissioner Carla Grund said she was willing to serve but preferred to keep an annual rotation. Commissioner Duane Morris and Commissioner Mortimer voted in favor; Commissioner Grund cast the lone dissent.
The board then unanimously elected Commissioner Duane Morris as vice chair, 3–0. The reorganizational motions were part of a wider set of routine actions at the meeting, where commissioners also named official banking depositories, appointed department heads and approved administrative resolutions for 2026. The meeting opened at 8:00 a.m., with Richard Shupe leading the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Commissioner Mortimer.
The election of officers follows the board's customary first-meeting reorganization. Commissioners emphasized accessibility to constituents across districts: Grund noted her district accounts for about half the county's townships and a majority of appraised valuation, and commissioners affirmed they are available to constituents regardless of district.
The commission recessed for other agenda business after the reorganization and returned to routine appointments and administrative items later in the meeting.
