ESCANABA — The Delta County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday morning to work on the county administrator employment agreement that will be presented to Emily DeSalvo for negotiation — and heard opposition from a few community members who stand against DeSalvo’s hiring. DeSalvo had previously served in the role from 2019 to 2023 and was terminated after criticized three commissioners who were later recalled.

At the beginning of the meeting on June 9, Commissioner Patrick Johnson suggestion going into closed session so that commissioners could discuss the contract privately because the meeting being public would give DeSalvo the benefit of hearing what the board’s maximum offer was before negotiations begin. However, it was determined that a closed session was not permitted for this type of agenda item.

The pre-business public comment period brought Robert (“Bob”) Barron, former county commissioner and one of the recalled commissioners who voted to terminate DeSalvo in 2023, to the podium.

“To bring DeSalvo back is to condone unethical and unprofessional behavior and to, deja vu, give DeSalvo the opportunity to fleece the county and taxpayers again,” Barron said, referring to DeSalvo’s having left with a large severance package of over $50,000. He previously accused her of “goading” the board into firing her instead of quitting in order to obtain the severance.

“The board’s only ethical option is to start over the search for an administrator that is ethical and professional,” Barron said.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, when the current board turned to their draft contract just minutes later, a lengthy discussion about severance pay ensued.

Whereas a previous contract had stated that a terminated employee would receive three months insurance benefits and six months’ salary as a severance package, the board changed it to one month of benefits and a sum of $7,500.

The above applies if the administrator is terminated at the will of the board, but if the administrator is fired for “just cause” — such as a high crime or gross neglect — no severance package is due. The administrator also would not be entitled to severance if they resigned.

Though all still negotiable, a number of changes were made to the draft contract that had last been presented to Ashleigh Young, who is leaving the administrator position to take on the job of airport manager.

The board agreed to offer DeSalvo a starting salary of $93,000 annually. Though Commissioner Kelli VanGinhoven argued for $95,000 given DeSalvo’s previous experience, Commissioner Matthew Jensen persuasively maintained that because they were only entering negotiations, the board should not present a middle-ground number first.

Within 30 days of the new administrator’s hire, the board is to present defined goals and performance objectives. Performance reviews will take place at six and nine months, with the potential for salary increases of up to $3,000 each time.

Vacation time was lowered from 20 to 15 days per year, which is closer to the 10 days allowed to department heads starting out.

Commissioners John Malnar and Christine Williams were appointed to the negotiating team for the next stage.

As general public comment opened at the end of the meeting, several people expressed their displeasure. More than one brought up that during DeSalvo’s previous employment as county administrator, another person was brought on to assist with finances.

“That shows that she lacks the skills necessary to do that aspect of her job. Will Emily require another helper?” Bonnie Hakkala asked. “…She couldn’t do her job, she was insubordinate, and she was fired.”

Semma Deeds of Escanaba thanked the commissioners, especially Williams, for their hard work on the contract, but she disapproved of rehiring DeSalvo and said that she wished there were other options. She stated that she had been “shocked” by DeSalvo’s “hateful” speech in February 2023.

During the statement made by DeSalvo in 2023, DeSalvo had expressed frustration with the then-sitting board for directing her not to “not to voice concerns for the county, not to engage in information finding, and not perform duties within my job description.”

She also stated that in her past job performance reviews, then-commissioners Bob Barron and David Moyle — two of the three who were later recalled from their positions — gave her “exceptionally low scores … with no justification,” while the board chair spoke highly of her conduct.

The board chair in 2022 was Patrick Johnson, who is now again a seated commissioner.

“You’ve heard these people talk against your hiring of Emily DeSalvo. There’s nobody here that has talked in favor of your hiring, and I hope you will serve the people you are hearing here today that also are representing many voices in the community,” said Barbara Barron.

Another speaker on Monday said that she felt DeSalvo was being offered the job because there were no other options — other applicants had been unqualified or dropped out. She urged commissioners not to allow this candidate to be overcompensated financially.

As business wrapped and moved to commissioner comments, Williams mentioned that a new parks manager — Heather LeDuc, who is coming over from the Delta Conservation District — would be starting Wednesday morning and will overlap for three days with the previous parks manager, whose last day is Friday.

Jensen reported that a large joint meeting took place Monday with the Upper Peninsula State Fair Authority and emergency personnel. They are working towards providing coordinated response in the event of any sort of emergency that might take place at the fair.