Berrien County narrows county administrator search to two finalists

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners reached consensus June 11 to advance two applicants — Greg Vlietstra and Kipling Belcher — in its search for a permanent county administrator. The board recorded plans for meet-and-greet sessions with county department heads and elected officials, followed by second interviews before a final selection process.

Chet Janik of the Michigan Leadership Institute, the search consultant assisting the board, told commissioners the next steps will include soliciting feedback from department heads after each meet-and-greet and then scheduling individual second interviews. The board posted a proposed schedule for June 18 that includes 8:45–9:45 A.M. for a meet-and-greet with Vlietstra and 9:45–10:45 A.M. for Belcher, followed by special meeting interview windows later that day. Chairperson R. McKinley Elliott presided over the action recorded as a consensus of the commission.

The first-round interviews were conducted serially on June 11 and included four applicants; each candidate introduced themselves and answered questions posed by HR Director Kristin Reynolds. Commissioners observed a lunch recess and an admonition from Commissioner Robert Harrison that members should not discuss applicants during breaks. The board did not take a formal, recorded vote to narrow the field; the minutes record a commission consensus and a plan for additional public-facing and internal meetings.

Provenance: This article summarizes the commission consensus and the announced schedule from the June 11 special meeting minutes.