News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena County Commissioners Dan Ludlow, left, and John Kozlowski, center, meet with Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer on Thursday. Osmer just wrapped up his first year as administrator.

ALPENA — Since his first day of work in late May of 2024, there has been a whirlwind of activity and several ups and down for Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer.

When he accepted the job after sitting on the board of commissioners for several years, Osmer faced a budget deficit well above $1 million, which he said he was committed to lowering. Union contracts need to be bargained, and the annual audit completed.

Entering Osmer’s second year, the county has significantly whittled down its budget shortfall, and made both union and service contracts more taxpayer friendly.

Osmer also led the charge in the county’s response to the historic ice storm in Northeast Michigan in late March that forced Osmer to pivot away from some of his normal daily duties to help make sure residents had the shelter, food, and assistance they needed.

Osmer said he is pleased by what was accomplished during his first year as administrator and credits his staff and commissioners with helping him, especially in navigating the budget. He said there is still a lot of work to be done, but he is confident that county finances are stabilizing and contracts will continue to offer value.

Osmer said his prior work experience with former Congressman Dan Benishek, former Michigan State Rep. Sue Allor, and a local commissioner helped prepare him for the challenges the county faced and still faces. Still, despite the experience, Osmer said when he became administrator the number of tasks and the time to complete them was an eye opener.

“There were things that I knew and expected, but I think I was surprised by how many things needed to be done in a short period of time,” he said. “I came in half way through the year, so I only had six months to find a way to balance the budget, which we did, comb through expiring contracts, and a lot of other things. Walking in, I definitely expected that I was going to have to battle some fires, but I don’t think I anticipated how many of them there were.”

When Osmer assumed his role, the county anticipated large cuts to its sheriff’s office, including deputies, and preserving as much savings as possible. In the end, Osmer and the board of commissioners needed to make steep cuts, but they weren’t as extensive because he was able to find other ways to increase revenues and save money.

Still, Osmer said, the success of overcoming the budget shortfall and making sure the cuts were limited wouldn’t have been possible without the department heads who also found ways to shave expenses and increase the amount of money their offices brought in.

“We have a good team,” he said. “I have a board that trusted me and a staff that not only helped, but also made recommendations. I think a lot of them knew what we were facing and they all sacrificed and came up with creative ways to help.”

Early in Osmer’s first year, he said a lot of the budget recommendations made to the commissioners were from people who didn’t necessarily give a clear picture of the county’s finances. He said it was a fact that there was a large deficit, but after he began to dig deep into the budget, contracts, debt, and other financial liabilities, he said maybe it wasn’t as bad as it appeared.

Osmer said one of his regrets in his first year was pushing the proposed millage requests last year that would have provided the county a financial cushion, when there were other ways to operate the county without it. He said had he been in the administrative position longer and had more time to crunch numbers, he may not have recommended the proposed tax increase.

“My regret was buying into that narrative,” he said. “As a commissioner, you take the word of the people who tell you what is going well and what isn’t. We depended on other people’s narrative and we were being told the sky will fall if the millage fails, that’s what I came in believing. The truth was we could make it happen. It was going to be hard, but if you come into government thinking things are going to be easy, you’re in the wrong industry.”

Osmer pointed to the financial rebound of the Alpena County Plaza Pool as another positive in his first year. The county took over management control of the pool last year and now, he said, the pool is making money and is self-sufficient.

Osmer said he enjoys his job because each day there is something new for him to work on and other problems to solve. He said it is also very rewarding. He said proposing a balanced budget was rewarding, as was the county’s response to the ice storm.

“When I applied for the job, I didn’t know I would be running a shelter for a week, but there we were,” he said. “It is always rewarding when your position allows you to help and assist others.”

Commissioner John Kozlowski said Osmer kept his promise to balance the budget and find a way to limit the cuts so they were as painless as possible. He said if he was a teacher, he would give Osmer an A+ grade for his first year. Kozlowski said Osmer is hardworking, dedicated, is good at research, and not scared to spend hours pouring through financial documents. He said Osmer also has a knack for finding logical solutions to problems, thanks to his ability to dive deep into issues.

“He has done an excellent job and I know there were a few commissioners that were a little reluctant about hiring him, but I think if you were to ask them now how they think he is doing, I believe they would all give him high marks,” Kozlowski said.

Commissioner Dan Ludlow said Osmer is very detail-oriented and his ability to work with, and communicate with, the commissioners is top-notch. He said he would also give Osmer an A as a grade. Ludlow said Osmer proved himself over the last year and believes the experience he earned will only help him thrive further in the future.

“Jesse is a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of guy who digs into everything,” Ludlow said. “He also is good at explaining things in a way to understand. The first year has a learning curve that is immense and he did it and did it well. I am only expecting good things from Jesse moving forward and I think things are only going to get better.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.