ESCANABA — According to new Delta County Administrator Philip Strom, things have been going well since he officially entered this new position on April 25.

In March, former Delta County Administrator Ryan Bergman announced he had accepted another job and would be leaving the county. The committee of the whole decided to post the job description for the county administrator position internally through April 3, and to either interview internal candidates or post the job externally after this point. A committee of the whole meeting was held to interview Strom — the only internal applicant for the position — and the committee recommended that Strom be hired as the county’s new administrator. The Delta County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of ratifying this recommendation.

While Strom — who previously worked as the county’s prosecutor — entered his new position in late April, he started getting ready to do so well before then.

“I actually started working a little bit with Ryan and transitioning … two weeks before the 25th,” he said. At this time, he got up to speed on the county’s budget and the financial side of his new position. He also met with department heads to learn more about the current state of Delta County’s various departments.

So far, Strom’s focus as county administrator has been on networking with other local municipal leaders to learn about the projects and initiatives that are ongoing in the county and its communities. Last Friday, he met with Escanaba City Manager Patrick Jordan and Code Enforcement Official Blaine DeGrave.

“We had a good meeting about the relationship … between the city of Escanaba and Delta County,” Strom said, noting he also attended a Delta County Township Association meeting last week and he hopes to meet with Gladstone City Manager Darcy Long soon.

In addition to this, Strom has been working with the administrative office’s staff to familiarize himself with the office’s day-to-day operations.

Strom said while he has had a lot to learn during his first few days as county administrator, members of the Delta County Courthouse’s staff have provided a great deal of assistance.

“Everybody has been very helpful, and that’s appreciated,” he said.

Strom also noted if local residents have any thoughts, concerns, or ideas related to Delta County’s government, they are welcome to share these with him.

“I’m interested to hear from people in the community,” he said.