Leelanau County administrator Jim Dyer has broken his months long silence, submitting a lengthy written response that denies wrongdoing and asks commissioners to reject the remedy sought by finance director Rio Risbridger in the complaint that landed him on paid leave. Dyer was placed on administrative leave June 9, one day after Risbridger filed a complaint invoking the Michigan Whistleblowers’ Protection Act, alleging financial misconduct, circumvention of board authority and a pattern of intimidation by both Dyer and Human Resources Manager Jen Kain.
Risbridger, who had been on the job 74 days when she filed the complaint, asked the board to remove her from Dyer’s supervision and have her report directly to commissioners, and to move her to a contract-employee arrangement.
The complaint laid out seven categories of concern, including an inability to facilitate county operations, withholding of information, inaccurate statements to commissioners, and “repeated disparagement” of Hartesvelt, former assistant finance director Mike Birkmeier, Chief Clerk Jen Zywicki, and Clerk Michelle Crocker.
