Finalists chosen for Alpena County administrator post
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ALPENA — The final four candidates for the new Alpena County administrator position are set, and public interviews will take place soon.
The four candidates were selected by Frank Walsh of Walsh Municipal Services, LLC from a pool of more than 40 applicants who expressed interest in the job.
The finalists are:
ADAM POLL
Poll is a familiar face in Alpena. He is currently the President and CEO of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce and worked prior to that as the Planning and Development Director of the City of Alpena for seven years.
JEFF KNOOP
Knoop is currently the assistant executive director, deputy prosecuting attorney for the Marion County prosecutor's office, child advocacy center in Indianapolis, Indiana. He has been in that role since 2010. He also served as the vice-chair of the Community Emergency Response Team in Indianapolis.
JANET KOCH
Koch is the only candidate that is currently working as an administrator, as she has served in that role for Wexford County since 2019.
Prior to that, she was the Community Development Director of the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance in Boyne City. From 2013-2017, she was the deputy county administrator and associate planner for Antrim County.
MARY CATHERINE HANNAH
Hannah currently is on the executive committee and is a founding member of Little Traverse Bay Housing Partnership. Prior to that, she was the executive director of the regional development office of the Presbyterian Villages of Michigan.
Upon review of the resumes, three of the four candidates have worked alongside Alpena City Manager Rachel Smolinski on projects at some point in their careers.
Smolinski said via text that she knew Hannah and Koch, and Poll had worked under her at city hall in Alpena until he left to accept the job at the chamber.
Public interviews are slated for Aug. 18 beginning at 4 p.m. Each candidate will be interviewed for one hour, and then the commissioners will deliberate. The board may or may not make a decision on that night.