Special Session (Minutes)

**Executive Summary**

**Meeting Overview**
The special session of the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners, held on November 18-19, 2024, commenced at 9:02 a.m. under the leadership of Chairman Ty Wessell. The primary focus of this session was to conduct interviews for the County Administrator position. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence, followed by a roll call of present commissioners. Key participants included MLI Consultant Chet Janik, who provided vital information regarding the interviewing process of candidates and the legal framework surrounding the potential hire.

**Candidate Interviews**
The meeting featured several candidate interviews, starting with Matthew Marske and concluding with Brandon Fewins, who participated via Zoom. Each candidate was allowed to introduce themselves and respond to questions from the commissioners. The structure of the interviews facilitated a thorough assessment of the candidates’ qualifications. Following the interviews, MLI Consultant Janik provided feedback on the candidates’ performance based on commissioner ratings, emphasizing the need for a second round of interviews for the most promising applicants.

**Discussion and Next Steps**
Post-interviews, a motion was made to conduct second interviews for Mark Brown, Kipling Belcher, and James Dyer, which passed despite some dissenting opinions. Commissioner O’Rourke expressed a desire to hire Dyer immediately, reflecting varied perspectives within the commission regarding the hiring process. The second round of interviews was tentatively scheduled for December 12, 2024, allowing for input from incoming commissioners.

For further details on the video of the meeting, please refer to the links provided: Meeting Video 1 and Meeting Video 2.