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OTTAWA COUNTY — Former Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs was told there may be problems with his selection of a top administrative assistant, according to internal emails obtained by the Journal Sentinel.
Human Resources Director Marcie VerBeek wrote in a June 2023 email to Gibbs: “I have concerns about working with Mr. Epperson. I strongly recommend that we get the hiring committee back together to discuss it.”
On Aug. 8, Gibbs confirmed to the Ottawa County Commission that he had hired someone to fill the newly expanded position, but declined to name the person to avoid “drawing public attention.”
The Journal Sentinel later reported that Gibbs hired 23-year-old Jordan Epperson, who had recently graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He started working for the county on Aug. 21.
Gibbs was accused of age discrimination after Epperson was hired in August because a more qualified final candidate for the position was not selected. Finalist Ryan Kimball filed suit against Gibbs and Ottawa County in October.
Gibbs was fired on Thursday, Feb. 29, after board Chairman Joe Moss moved to fire him for cause — focusing primarily on new allegations made by Epperson and the recent hiring of Deputy Administrator Benjamin Way Benjamin Wetmore, rather than a lawsuit.
more: Lawsuit: Gibbs engaged in age discrimination in hiring executive assistants
Of the five mandatory standards sought by the county, Epperson had one — a bachelor’s degree. Kimball met additional qualifications and had more than 20 years of experience, according to emails obtained by the Sentinel through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Emails between Gibbs and VerBeek show that Gibbs directed VerBeek to make an offer to Epperson on June 15.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to move forward with the next steps in the process of hiring Jordan Epperson for the senior administrative assistant position,” Gibbs wrote.
The next day, VerBeek requested an additional meeting with the hiring committee “to discuss options before moving forward.” Her statement was almost entirely redacted by the company’s legal counsel. Only two sentences were released in the two-page email, which was accompanied by a chart showing Epperson’s qualifications compared to Kimball.
Legal counsel Jack Jordan told the Journal Sentinel that the comments had been redacted because “correspondence and notes within or between public agencies of an advisory nature only cover more than purely factual material and are preliminary to an agency’s final policy decision. content, you will be exempted.” or action.”
Kimball’s attorney, Rob Howard, released the full email to the Journal Sentinel on Friday, March 1, as part of the discovery process in his client’s ongoing lawsuit.
In the unedited email, VerBeek said:
“I am concerned about further developments with Mr. Epperson. I strongly recommend that we get the recruiting committee back together to discuss this. I put together a chart of basic requirements (below) based on the job description of the job posting. Jordan does not meet the minimum requirements for the position. And, in every category, Mr. Kimball fits the bill better than Mr. Epperson. Additionally, I am concerned about the tools we are starting to use in the hiring process, which have not been adequately vetted…I am also concerned about the comments you made in front of the interview panel about the candidate’s age and your abilities “Boss” Ai Mr. Posen is easier to get along with because he is younger. I am concerned that if we continue to work with Mr. Epperson at this time, we may be violating our equal employment opportunity policy.“
In a reply on July 7, Gibbs thanked VerBeek for the feedback and instructed her to “please move forward with the next steps in hiring Jordan Epperson.”
Gibbs then forwarded his response to Moss and board vice chair Sylvia Rhodea with the message “for informational purposes only.”
Moss and Rhodea control the board’s majority of Ottawa Impact, a group of far-right fundamentalists who have expressed dissatisfaction with the mandate for students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the months since, Gibbs and Epperson’s relationship has soured.
Gibbs said the accusations made last week by Epperson and Wetmore were fabricated after Gibbs said the board was “corrupt and opposed to bad governance.”
They “cooked a series of miscellaneous and contrived accusations that did not come to light until I attempted to hold them accountable,” Gibbs wrote in a statement Friday.
“I think they’re afraid they’re going to get fired or something,” Gibbs told the Journal Sentinel. “So they started putting all their eggs in the commissioners’ basket and came up with this thing.”
Gibbs said he hired Epperson because members of the state Legislature who worked with him “said he was great,” despite what he said online.
“But they didn’t work with him as closely as I did,” Gibbs said. “So I had to take a look.”
Gibbs was referring to a series of disturbing social media posts discovered after Epperson was hired.
“Jordan does have a history of making very racist, anti-Semitic comments,” Gibbs said. “He has history and background, but I went with people who knew him.”
Gibbs had similar sentiments about Wetmore, who he said “came highly recommended by Jordan and others I trust.”
“Some people said they heard some bad things, but others said he was fine. I took most of the advice, but it turned out that guy was right too.”
Gibbs claimed the pair “failed to consistently perform job duties, which was discussed during performance reviews.”
Epperson called Gibbs’s description of his job performance “wrong.” Wetmore did not respond to a request for comment from the Sentinel.
Kimball’s lawsuit is one of four filed against the commission in 2023. A lawsuit filed by Health Officer Adeline Hambley was resolved Monday with an updated settlement agreement under which she and her deputies will remain employed by the county.
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A second lawsuit alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act was dismissed last summer, and an appeal was unsuccessful in January.
The final lawsuit was filed in October by a Grand Haven pastor who alleged religious discrimination after the board failed to respond to his repeated requests.
Gibbs’ attorney, Noah Hurwitz, said Friday that he plans to sue the board for wrongfully firing his client.
—Sarah Leach is executive editor of The Netherlands Sentinel. Please contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach.
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