A familiar face will be taking the helm at the Village of Holland beginning Monday, December 11.
At the November 21 meeting, council appointed Springfield Township Trustee Bob Bethel as the new village administrator.
Mr. Bethel will be only the second administrator in the village. The first was Harry Barlos, a former Lucas County commissioner, who served as administrator from 2005 to 2008.
The decision to seek a fulltime administrator was based, in part, on current staffing and availability of the mayor.
After Mr. Barlos departed, council and then Mayor Mike Yunker did not believe a need existed for a full-time administrator, explained Mayor Lee Irons at a meeting earlier this year.
At the time, Mayor Yunker assumed the duties and Mayor Irons has continued to do the same, but both men had more time to devote to the job as retirees.
Council President Ryan Spangler, who is employed full time, was elected as the new mayor in January with Mayor Irons retiring.
Mr. Spangler said he and future mayors may not have the time to devote to the job that past ones have had, adding that growth in the village necessitates council employ an administrator.
In addition, the village has a small but very senior staff that will be retiring in a few years making it important to bring in an administrator who can be familiarized with village operations prior to staff retirements, explained Mayor Irons.
The village had conducted two rounds of candidate searches with the first yielding no results. Mr. Bethel was among several who applied when the job was posted for a second time.
“It’s been a long process,” said Mayor Irons.
Councilman Spangler agreed, noting that Mr. Bethel was among four candidates interviewed by the wage and hiring committee and was the clear standout.
“It was a unanimous decision,” he said. “We are excited to move forward.”
Council’s decision was not unanimous, however. Councilman Mike Bettinger recused himself from voting since he is related to one of the candidates.
Mr. Bethel has an extensive background in human resources. Since 2012 he has worked for the Employer’s Association as vice president of human resources, senior trainer and consultant.
Prior to that he was employed by Bittersweet Farms as its human resources director.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Toledo and is a Springfield High School graduate.
Mr. Bethel expressed appreciation to council. “Thank you for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with everyone and am anxious to get started.”
As administrator, he will receive a starting salary of $38.50 per hour. The amount increases in increments of 90 cents per hour each year thereafter from $39.40 after one year to $43 after five years.
To avoid potential conflicts of interest, terms of his employment call for Mr. Bethel to step down from his elected position as a Springfield Township trustee.
He plans to resign as trustee on December 31.
Other Business
In other business, council: •Reappointed Paul Skaff as the village attorney for two years, 2024-25. The mayor pointed out that Mr. Skaff has been with the village “for many years and has done a good job.”
•Hired James Huddleston to the maintenance department at a salary of $21.06 per hour.
•Heard from the mayor that the village is moving ahead with plans to insulate the police station as part of the renovations being undertaken after a pipe burst and flooded the lower level of the building.
•Announced that Lieutenant Jim Piotrowski will fill in for Chief Reed who retired. A retirement party for the chief was held by staff on November 29.
•Paid bills totaling, $269,384. Council also approved adjustments to the annual appropriations to reflect the additional funds needed for administrator.
Council’s next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 5, in council chambers at the administrative building, 1245 Clarion Avenue, and is open to the public.
