News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena County Chief Deputy Treasurer Cindy Cebula, left, chats with Jesse Osmer at the county courthouse on Wednesday. Osmer was chosen to be the new county administrator on Tuesday and Cebula found out she is running unopposed for treasurer in August.

ALPENA — Jesse Osmer has been committed to serving the public since high school and intends to serve the residents in Alpena County when he begins his new job as county administrator.

Osmer’s concern about the county’s finances led to him seeking less money than other candidates, so his salary wouldn’t be as big of a burden on the budget and taxpayers’ wallets.

On Tuesday, the Alpena County Board of Commissioners voted to offer the vacant position to Osmer, who is currently the commissioner for District No. 2, and he is eager to get to work and excited about his new role.

Osmer’s hiring is pending until he and the county agree to contract terms, but that could be a formality because Osmer seeks a wage lower than the pay scale of $85,000 to $115,000 a year the county set for a new administrator.

Osmer recused himself from the discussion and the vote on the wage for a new administrator.

“In a survey, I was asked what compensation I was seeking and I intentionally went below the minimum because I didn’t want the extra pressure on the budget,” he said. “I was elected because I said I wanted to get the budget in order and that is still my number one goal. For me, this isn’t so much about what I’m being paid, it never has been, it is about serving the people and trying to help the county.”

Government and politics have been a large part of Osmer’s life and now he wants to take what he has learned from local, state, and federal officials and apply them to his new county position.

Osmer 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 State Rep. Sue Allor at her office in Lansing.

From 2010 to 2015, Osmer worked as the deputy district director for former U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek, and later, served a portion of a term on the Alpena Municipal Council after being appointed in 2021. He was elected to the county board in 2022.

Allor said she was proud of Osmer and that she believes the commissioners made the right choice. She said Osmer always conducted himself professionally while employed with her, paid attention to detail, and built strong relationships with people on both sides of the aisle in Lansing and with her constituents. She said Osmer’s love for the Alpena area is genuine. She said Osmer has the ability to measure the pulse on issues in a community and plan for the future.

“He’s truly vested in the area he calls home and what you’ll learn about Jesse is that he’s knowledgeable and skilled in looking ahead, strategizing, and evaluating all facets of a situation carefully before making decisions – which is an essential quality for any administrator,” Allor said. “You’ll also find that he is a great communicator and always available for discussion and his door is always open. Lastly, he’s not afraid to disagree. Sometimes, that may not be what you want to hear, but it allows for the opportunity for a great discussion and the sharing of ideas that will ultimately assist in making a good decision.”

Osmer said his number-one priority is to find ways to help dig the county from a large budget shortfall. The county is staring at a nearly $1.6 million deficit and its savings account is dwindling. He said he is prepared to make the hard decisions that may be needed if finances don’t turn around, but he also understands many things can’t be cut because of state mandates and policies.

Osmer said on his first day of work, he intends to begin meeting with department heads and staff to learn more about what they are working on and what they need help with. He said because he has already built relationships with the employees and elected officials, he believes the adjustment period can be short and the learning curve smaller.

“Because I have a good working relationship with staff, I think it will allow me to hit the ground running,” Osmer said. “I have a good rapport with the elected officials and I’m looking forward to building on that so we can advance the agenda of the board.”

Erinn Kane, who has known and worked with Osmer since high school, said she is confident he will thrive in the administrator role. She said Osmer’s life, work, and political experience set the stage for his success.

“I’ve known Jesse professionally for 15 years, and there is no doubt in my mind he is qualified, if not overly qualified, for this position,” Kane said. “He will make an excellent administrator. To say I am excited to see what he accomplishes for the benefit of Alpena is an understatement.”