The third is a current Alpena County commissioner with a lengthy track record of working in government, including for former state representative Sue Allor.

On Friday, the county Board of Commissioners will interview Jeff Thornton, Mark Justin, and Jesse Osmer for an hour each. The trio of candidates will introduce themselves and share their career highlights and then answer prepared questions from commissioners.

The three finalists were selected by Amy Cell Talent, a consultancy firm the county hired, but all three submitted their resumes directly to the commissioners’ office in Alpena.

That means not one of the applicants who applied through Amy Cell were considered.

Jesse Osmer

JEFF THORNTON

Thornton was hired as Alpena County administrator in 2005 and worked in that capacity until 2009, when finances forced the county to cut the position, as well as others.

He is a part-time resident in Alpena and intends to move back full-time if the county hires him.

Thornton said that, because he owns property in Alpena, he closely monitors local government business and news, and is up to date on current county issues.

He said the county needs his experience as administrator for Alpena County and his knowledge of the area and state politics. He said his love for Northeast Michigan and his wanting it to be the best it can be also drove him to apply for the position.

Mark Justin

“Even after they cut the position, I never really left, and I’m in Alpena at least once every few weeks,” he said. “Alpena is where I want to retire one day, so this just made all of the sense in the world.”

Thornton said there was no animosity between county commissioners and himself when he lost his job, because he knew the move was predicated on finances and not his job performance.

“I understood at the time that there was no money, and it wasn’t a mandatory position,” he said.

After losing his job for the county, Thornton took the city manager position in Negaunee and worked there from March 2011 to March 2017. In 2017, that city parted ways with Thornton to move in a different direction.

MARK JUSTIN

Justin is a former county administrator for Gladwin County. He worked in that position from August 2021 until September 2023, when the Gladwin County Board of Commissioners voted to terminate him, claiming he misappropriated public funds to bolster his salary.

The board split on the vote to firm him, and he lists a member of that board, as well as the Gladwin County sheriff, as references on his resume.

Justin denied he intentionally gave himself a raise.

Justin said that, while going through the budget with the county clerk and treasurer, he noticed that the line item for his wage was incorrect. He said the clerk and treasurer told him not to change it, because it would likely become that amount after an upcoming evaluation from the board.

He said that, at the same time, union negotiations were just wrapping up, and a new wage was about to be entered into the payroll system once the union contract was signed.

Justin said he told payroll officials to add the new wages into the computer, but to make them effective after the contract was ratified and to enter his salary but make it effective after his performance review. If he wasn’t awarded a raise, it could be changed back.

The employee in charge of payroll made the change effective immediately, and, for a spell, Justin said, he was paid about $30 more per paycheck than what he was supposed to.

When he went to the commissioners’ meeting a few days later, his termination was added to the agenda.

“I didn’t even have anything to do with payroll, except to give the clerk the wage scale,” he said. “I found the mistake and intended to report it to the board at the meeting and offer to pay the money back, but I never got the chance.”

Justin said there are a lot of parallels between Gladwin County and Alpena County. He said that, when he took the administrator’s job, the county had a large budget shortfall and nearly depleted savings. He said he helped get a public safety millage passed to help offset the costs of the Sheriff’s Office and jail, and, slowly but surely, the county’s finances improved and savings began to grow.

In Alpena County, the county faces a budget shortfall of about $1.6 million and the county board has considered seeking a public safety millage. The county has delayed that tax request and instead decided to pursue a tax increase to replace revenue lost through what’s known as a “Headlee rollback,” a reference to a part of the state constitution that limits local governments’ tax collections in some instances.

Justin said he has visited Alpena in the past and he is seeking a place to put the finishing touches on his career and retire. He said Alpena County is the perfect place to do that.

“It’s a fabulous area that is beginning to thrive and has a ton of potential,” he said.

JESSE OSMER

Osmer is a current Alpena County commissioner after being elected in 2022 and now seeks the administrator position.

He is currently employed by the firm Kane, Funk, Poch, and VanMassenhove in Alpena as a legal assistant.

Before taking the job at the law firm, Osmer was employed as legislative director for Allor at her office in Lansing.

From 2010 to 2015, Osmer worked as the deputy district director for former U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek. Osmer also served a portion of a term on the Alpena Municipal Council after being appointed in 2021.

Osmer was unable to comment on Friday.

Osmer has recused himself from any county board decisions about the administrator search.

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