KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — Six new members sat down for the first time last night in their seats, joining five incumbents, as Kalamazoo County Commissioners picked new leaders, and got organized for the next year.
It’s one of the biggest changeovers in personnel made by a major governmental board in Kalamazoo County in decades and while there were a few opening night jitters and some muffed procedures and discomfort, the new County Commission is off and running.
What newly elected board chair John Taylor, a Democrat does not want to change is the spirit of bi-partisan cooperation that has been a highly regarded feature of the board.
To that end, Republican Jeff Heppler was elected to be board vice-chair. Board members have tentative plans for a February retreat to get to know one another better.
One of the first actions of the new Kalamazoo County Board was to accept 7 applications from executive headhunting firms as they begin a search for a new administrator.
They plan to narrow the list to 3 at their next meeting, do interviews with the executive placement firms next month and then send the winner off to begin their search.
