Ottawa County to hold special meeting regarding Gibbs
OTTAWA COUNTY — The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting Thursday, Feb. 22, to discuss a potential response to a January letter from Administrator John Gibbs.
Commissioners will meet at 8 a.m. at the Ottawa County Fillmore Complex. The official calendar has the meeting scheduled until 5 p.m.
The letter in question, sent to Board Chair Joe Moss on Jan. 15, came via email from Gibbs’ then attorney, Aaron Davis of Butzel Long, who is no longer representing Gibbs. It's not known who is currently representing Gibbs.
The letter warned of potential legal action, should the board attempt to fire Gibbs, who's been in his position since Jan. 3, 2023.
“As you know, and your lawyers should know, there is no basis to terminate my client for cause,” Davis wrote to Moss. “Should the board, or its lawyers, attempt to get creative in that vein, be advised that the full extent of legal options available to Mr. Gibbs will be used to ensure the board ceases to violate Mr. Gibbs' constitutional, statutory, and contractual rights any further than it already has to date.”
On Feb. 13, commissioners approved a separate lawyer, Brook Bisonet and his firm Guinan Bisonet, to provide legal services in connection to the letter. The board also approved a “hiring freeze and transfer freeze” for Gibbs, effective immediately and until further notice.
Gibbs was notably absent from that meeting. A strategic planning committee meeting slated for Feb. 20, for which the only item on the agenda was a discussion led by Gibbs, was canceled.
The board’s Ottawa Impact majority hired Gibbs during their first meeting, abruptly firing John Shay.
In March, Commissioner Jacob Bonnema filed a complaint against Gibbs following a verbal altercation. After an investigation by an outside legal firm, Human Resources Director Marcie VerBeek concluded the evidence “did not substantiate the claim of harassment.” Moss later censured Bonnema for "abusing his authority" in filing the complaint.
More recently, Gibbs was accused of age discrimination after a controversial executive aide hire. The move inspired a lawsuit from a finalist for the position, Ryan Kimball, who had more qualifications than the younger candidate selected. A scheduled closed session to discuss the lawsuit prompted the letter from Gibbs.
Following the closed session, Moss made a motion to enter mediation with Kimball's attorney, then moved to create a subcommittee of commissioners to "advise" negotiations. There was no mention of Gibbs.
A clause in Gibbs’ contract says he "may be terminated at any time … for cause (defined as intentional fraud, dishonesty, gross misconduct, or willful malfeasance) in connection with his performance." The board can fire him without cause if they provide a 90-day written notice.
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If the board were to fire Gibbs, he would receive a lump sum severance of nine months' pay, as well as nine months of health insurance. If he were terminated for cause, he would receive no severance, according to the contract.
"To be clear, there is no scenario where the board's adverse conduct against Mr. Gibbs is not put under a microscope by a court of competent jurisdiction if it does not regain its senses and begin treating Mr. Gibbs with dignity," Davis wrote to Moss.
Gibbs' contract runs through Jan. 3, 2026.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County to hold special meeting regarding Gibbs
