Board approves Barresi as next Otsego County administrator

GAYLORD — "There is nothing I cherish more than the community that has adopted me," said Matt Barresi as he wrapped up his presentation before the Otsego County Board of Commissioners on July 14.

After interviewing Barresi and Darcy Long, the city manager of St. Ignace, commissioners selected a familiar face in Barresi who has served as director of the county-owned Gaylord Regional Airport since 2009, to succeed Rachel Frisch as the county's next administrator. Frisch has resigned from the post because of family considerations.

The motion to hire Barresi was approved on a six to one vote. Commissioners Jason Caverson, Ken Glasser, Doug Johnson, Paul Liss, Brett McVannel, and Rob Pallarito voted yes while Henry Mason voted no. Commissioners Bruce Brown and Julie Powers did not attend the meeting.

The board also approved a motion authorizing board chairman Glasser to enter into contract negotiations with Barresi.

"It’s not the first time I’ve been given the chance to lead a team but it might be the most critical. I truly love the Otsego County community that adopted me after a long military career. I will do everything in my power to find consensus and cooperation to foster growth in the community. In short, I’ve never been prouder to serve," said Barresi, who came to Gaylord after a 22-year career with the U.S. Air Force.

His top two priorities in his first 90 days as administrator include listening and learning, meeting with the county officials, commissioners and community members individually "and listen to what they have to say ... to glean from the meetings the challenges, concerns facing them and what they are proud of," he said.

Assuming contract negotiations go well, Barresi said he will fill both positions until a replacement airport director is found.

Glasser said Barresi's leadership capabilities helped him to stand out.

"The job of a county administrator is building relationships and over time he has built a lot of relationships. You can see from his manner he wants to include the public. He is a real good fit for the county," said Glasser.

Several residents criticized the work of the Troy-based recruitment firm of Rehmann Robson LLC that was hired by the board to coordinate the search for Frisch’s replacement.

The other finalist for the job, Long, was terminated from the city manager's position in Gladstone in 2019 for several reasons. According to a news report, the mayor claimed Long violated the city's purchasing policy, negotiated directly with a union member resulting in a pay increase and failed to communicate with the city commission and the public.

Candidates for county commissioner on the August ballot also suggested the current board defer making a decision until after the election.

Glasser believes the services provided by Rehmann were valuable to the board.

"The process requires reaching out to people who might be qualified. It's a touchy business because (many potential candidates) are employed in other localities. Being exposed by us calling causes a lot of difficulty," he said.

Glasser also said Rehmann provided important input into the vetting process.

The contract with Rehmann calls for a fee that is a percentage of Barresi's salary. Rehmann's posting for the position indicates a salary range of $93,000 to $116,000 annually.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Board approves Matt Barresi as next Otsego County administrator