Houghton County Administrator Ben Larson gives an update on the county’s budget during the September board meeting last week. After the meeting, he informed the board he would be leaving as administrator. The board is beginning the search for his replacement. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette photo)

HOUGHTON — Houghton County is starting the search for a new administrator.

Ben Larson informed the county board after last week’s meeting he will be leaving the county to take a position with another company.

Larson had served as administrator since April 2023. This marked his second stretch with the county, where he had also been administrator from June 2020 to October 2021 before leaving for a job with a Calumet company.

In a message sent Wednesday, Larson said he is committed to working with the board to find his successor.

“As they make their selection, I will work to ensure that the next county administrator gets up to speed and ready to take the county into the next chapters,” he said.

Larson will continue working with the county for up to six weeks, allowing for time to provide direct tutelage to the next administrator. Board Chair Tom Tikkanen praised Larson’s performance in the job, saying while the board is sorry to see him go, they wish him the best.

“Ben is leaving our administration in Houghton County in better shape than he found it,” he said. “We’re better off than we were before Ben came back. It’s a good position, it’s a challenging one, but I’m confident we’re going to receive a lot of very good resumes and applications.”

The county has posted the position in the newspaper, on Indeed, and statewide through the Michigan Municipal Association and Michigan Association of Counties. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 4. Tikkanen said the board would hope to hire a candidate within a month.

Commissioner Glenn Anderson will head the search.

In the 2023 meeting where the board rehired Larson, Anderson praised Larson’s performance in the job the first time, but said the county didn’t need a high rate of turnover in the position. He asked Larson if he planned to stay on for several years.

“Sure,” Larson said at the time. “And obviously things can happen, but I’m not intending to leave right away.”

Wednesday, Anderson said the board’s goal would be for a new candidate to stay for at least a few years to provide continuity and provide support for the board and the staff of the courthouse.

“You certainly can’t require it, but the goal would be to have some stability going forward, at least for the next several years,” he said.

The board is looking for at least three years of municipal and government experience or something reasonably equivalent, Anderson said. They must have at least a bachelor’s degree; a master’s degree is wanted, but not required.

The candidate should also have Municipal finance and accounting experience, Anderson said. So are communications and labor relations experience; more than half of the county’s employees are unionized, Anderson said. The board would also like experience with applying for grants and grant management.

In the past few months, Larson brought in several large grants, including a Department of Natural Resources Waterways Grant for upgrades at the marina. He’s also helped lead the county’s upgrades of its aging information technology infrastructure, Anderson said.

Like Tikkanen, Anderson praised Larson’s performance in the job, where he’s done admirable work both times, he said.

“He’s very dedicated, and he’s very loyal,” he said. “He’s worked well with both the boards. Myself and the board certainly wish him well professionally. He has graciously said he would stay up to six weeks to make the transition a good handoff. Ben’s become quite an experienced county administrator.”