|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
January 20, 2006Downstate man named administratorThe new leader will report to work Feb. 13GAYLORD - A downstate man will be the new leader for Otsego County government.John Burt, 35, will begin his job as county administrator on Feb. 13. He will be paid $68,853 annually plus medical and retirement benefits. He is director of planning and mapping in Berrien County, where his salary is comparable to his new contract in Gaylord. "But it's not about the money," Burt said. "I love the Gaylord area. It's beautiful there. It's where I would have picked to live anyway, and there's a great job." Burt said his home in St. Joseph was listed for sale over the weekend, after his two-year contract was approved by Otsego County commissioners on Friday. Commissioners Ken Glasser and Mike Hyde went to St. Joseph last week to do a background and employment check. Glasser said all of Burt's subordinates and supervisors in Berrien County highly recommended him. "He's going to be a team player and his management style will mesh well with the people we already have in place," Glasser said. The county has been without an administrator since September, when commissioners fired former administrator Denise Koning after a poor evaluation in August. She was paid through the end of 2005, according to her contract. Burt said he has no sweeping changes planned, although technology is one of his strong points. He favors effective use of the Internet. "I want to get in there and get to better know the employees and the board members," Burt said. He spent the last eight years in the planning and mapping department in Berrien County, the last two as director, and worked on a new digital mapping system there. Burt said he'll likely buy a house in Gaylord once his downstate residence is sold, he said, and he looks forward to moving his family to the Alpine town. Burt said his wife of 12 years, Stacey, was born in northern Michigan, and they met while both were students at Central Michigan University. The couple has two children. Burt wants to resume an abandoned hobby of downhill skiing, now that he'll be living in a ski resort town.
|
|
