Leelanau Commissioner Update August 2026

Lake Leelanau cast a thousand diamonds across its surface on a bluebird day in Leelanau County

Photo by Deb Campbell

The Lazy, Busy Days. Of a Leelanau Summer

A newsletter provided monthly by:

Alan Campbell

Leelanau County Commissioner

Leelanau County has been a busy place this summer despite two or three weeks of beach-reading weather. It happens every July and August, gas prices be damned. The place just fills up, and folks you meet in restaurant lines seem quite amazed to learn you live here.

Indeed, we are all lucky — and likely hard working for at least part of our lives — to live here.

This Leelanau Commissioner Update is arriving about a month after the last one, which makes it a bit later than normal. Two reasons. First, I did not want to email an update that was outdated before being opened, so I waited until the separation agreement with former county administrator James Dyer was signed.

And second, I spent a week on a fishing trip with my son Cody. What a personal treasure after withdrawal from county business kicked in. I was on constant phone and computer alert for the first three days. It wore my body down to the point that I finally turned them off.

Then came some of the best days of my life.

I’m glad to be back home, though, and once again thoroughly immersed in my role as a county commissioner.

This update will, of course, inform about the separation of Mr. Dyer from his position as administrator after about 15 months on the job. As I write in the lead story, it was an uglier divorce than need be. I’ll be eliciting support from my fellow commissioners to make public the investigation summaries and attorney opinion that drove the County Board to the conclusion that we had to part ways with our administrator. You, the taxpayers, footed the legal bill. You should have access to what you bought.

Other stories will help explain what I call “Cardgate” — the reasons for a late payment on one credit card and unpaid purchases on another — as well as updates on the Leland Dam, other major capital projects on the horizon, and my thoughts on why county government needs to work closer with the Leelanau County Historical Preservation Society.

All past commissioner updates, along with related reports, can be found at leelanaucommissioner.com.

I want to thank you for reading, and I’d like to encourage you to pass on the information herein. My goal is simple — to share news and thoughts about Leelanau County government.

Please forward this newsletter to anyone with an interest in Leelanau. I enjoy and read all feedback (and usually answer). Or give me a call at 231-492-4972. Your input gives me the inspiration and guardrails that help me be a better commissioner.

These views are mine; I do not know if they are shared by other county commissioners. I did not contact them for story content.

Thank you.

Alan Campbell

Reasons Requiring A Messy Divorce

August 7th 2026

Talk about an ugly divorce.

Perhaps it was bound to be, sooner or later, if for no other reason than the number of complaints that were emerging from the county Finance Department about the county administrator.

If there was one thing about which former administrator James Dyer sought to comfort the public and county commissioners, it was the functionality of the county Finance Department. Take a look at the motions and policies he wrote reiterating his role as chief financial officer of the county. He sought separation of financial authority from County Board control right through his last proposed policy, which would authorize the county administrator to sign settlements that he negotiated for up to $25,000 without a vote or input from commissioners. The claims could come from any source — employees to citizens to corporations.

I opined against that proposed policy in the May commissioner update, which was typical of my disagreements with Mr. Dyer. They were about policy. Never about competence, for Mr. Dyer is a very competent professional. I will always respect his legal mind and policy intuition. Our disagreements were defined and respectful.

And they had nothing to do with the reason behind his being placed on administrative leave and eventual separation.

That was solely the result of allegations that had roots in resignation letters from a finance clerk and the assistant finance director. The difference maker, however, was a line-by-line accounting of activities that were judged as inappropriate that were part of a whistleblower letter written by Finance Director Rio Risbridger and sent directly to commissioners.

They were the reason for seeking a separation with Mr. Dyer, at least for me. County commissioners and administrators routinely argue, politic, complain, and find common ground throughout Michigan, probably on an hourly basis. But there’s a line that can’t be crossed, established by liability tolerance.

The whistleblower findings made previous disagreements seem like static.

I’ve read some of the writings that disagree, many online. And I can understand why some residents might think that Mr. Dyer could have been brought back. Had they been given an opportunity to read the investigation summaries and legal opinion available only to commissioners, their views may have changed. Commissioners met only in closed meetings to discuss information protected by attorney-client privilege.

The public was completely shut out of the process.

However, with a separation agreement in place, my belief is that constituents should be given access to documents that guided the conclusions of commissioners. I will advocate for that release at our executive meeting set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11. Please attend and express your thoughts.

Should the investigations and opinion be released and you disagree with the results, please let myself and the public know. I believe the County Board made the right decisions with the information before it.

I hope constituents find insight in knowing that all County Board votes pertaining to Mr. Dyer were unanimous. Whether Democrat or Republican, arm’s-length employer or social acquaintance, philosophically aligned or opposite, commissioners voted in unison.

A change was necessary.

Two more points, if I may, about the messy divorce that’s playing out in the media and online:

• I don’t fall in line with critics of county employment who have emerged during the process. Those who constantly push that line of thought risk the creation of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Public service is what you make of it. County employees I meet understand, accept, and relish the importance of their career choices. They love the peninsula (some through very deep roots here). They see the creeping of politics in the workplace for what it is — a path requiring constant glancing over shoulders.

• And I do believe commissioners failed Mr. Dyer. But not in the sense that failure has been portrayed. I’ll go back to his first controversial action, that of running and campaigning for a seat on the Cherryland Electric Cooperative Board of Directors. His contract with the county, whose ink wasn’t dry, prohibited outside employment, and the Cherryland job paid $12,000 to $15,000 annually. The same attorney who advised commissioners during Mr. Dyer’s forced leave and separation ruled in that opinion in his favor due to a technical definition of the word “employment.”

But the attorney also recognized the intention of the contractual obligation, which commissioners should have emphasized.

Instead, we steered clear of confrontation. It’s easier to get along — until it isn’t.

Later, we should have directly addressed the early warning signs that glowed red from within the Finance Department.

But we didn’t.

It’s Expensive to Switch County Administrators

August 7th, 2026

How much will the resignation of former county administrator James Dyer cost the taxpayers of Leelanau County?

It’s a topic worth exploring, although at this stage even the best guesses may not be accurate.

Among the major unknown factors will be the fee charged by a firm specializing in municipal executive searches. Also, no one knows how much the next administrator will draw in compensation.

So while some amounts have already been set, others have not.

Among the fixed costs was a buyout clause in the administrator’s contract, which was due to expire on March 31, 2028. Had the County Board of Commissioners opted to cancel the contract with cause — and could prove cause in the civil lawsuit that was bound to follow — no extra compensation would be provided.

However, through negotiations between county attorney Matt Nordfjord of Cohl, Stoker & Toskey, PC, and Mr. Dyer, who is an attorney by trade, a separation agreement that met the approval of the County Board was reached. The agreement was designed to avoid future lawsuits by either party.

To separate without cause, Mr. Dyer’s employment contract required a payment of six months’ salary. Since Mr. Dyer was paid $127,000 annually, his compensation equaled roughly half that amount.

It was a bit more complicated. Although the separation agreement wasn’t signed until July 28, a date of July 20 was set for purposes of the official separation date. The gross buyout amounts were $60,439 in severance, $5,440 in retirement, and $2,564 in a 45-hour “personal day buyout.” The total came to $68,443.

Recall that Mr. Dyer was placed on paid administrative leave for about six weeks.

Meanwhile, Ms. Cypher, the former executive assistant to the administrator, accepted the position of interim county administrator. She is being paid $4,214.50 per two-week pay period.

In other words, the county was paying about double the normal pay for its county administrator while Mr. Dyer was on leave.

The County Board will discuss the process to find a new county administrator at its executive meeting on Tuesday. According to an Internet search, a typical cost to hire an executive search firm is 30-40 percent of the annual salary paid to the position.

Late Payment, Missing Receipts Create ‘Cardgate’

August 7th, 2026

Cardgate.

Adding “gate” to any government misstep has the effect of overplaying its significance — and perhaps eliciting a smile — or signifying that there actually is some dark secret that needs uncovering.

I don’t believe either scenario completely explains discussions that arose at the July 17 meeting of the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners, and in the aftermath have received social and news media attention.

One of those credit card controversies will be on the agenda of our Tuesday, Aug. 11, executive session meeting, and the other may come up in passing.

Both need explaining, especially after they have been overstated and misinterpreted.

Perhaps a portion of the detailed email sent to all commissioners from interim county administrator Lauren Cypher, which I included among reports with this update, best explains half of “Cardgate.” It involves the late payment of what amounts to a personal credit card issued three years ago to Undersheriff James Kiessel in the name of Leelanau County. (Yea, that should have never happened.)

“This was not intentional,” Ms. Cypher wrote. “The Undersheriff was aware during each step of the process, communication occurred nearly daily, the process has been transparent, and it has been resolved. I can say with confidence it will not happen again.”

I appreciate the ample communication and transparency references within that statement. The document, which was sent to commissioners and others, offers a day-by-day description of meetings and actions with the Sheriff’s Office to ensure a card that should have never been issued was paid. Understanding the concern that was growing, she also put together a media release.

I did not know about the late payment heading into the meeting, but I’ve gotten up to speed since.

Credit card usage hadn’t drawn the attention of commissioners since August 2023, when the Sheriff’s Office sought a credit card for the department under the name of Undersheriff James Kiessel. The request was well reasoned.

“When the finance department is unable to act in a timely manner due to their primary obligations, training opportunities have been missed due to availability of training seats and lodging arrangement,” the statement read. “The request is not taken lightly and a plan has been devised by the Sheriff’s Office Administration to ensure accountability of current Leelanau County practices with finances. Therefore, only one credit card would be obtained and it would be in the Undersheriff’s name.”

Mr. Kiessel is the chief financial officer for the agency.

In retrospect, underlying problems in the type of card issued and application itself were bound to crop up later. The card, which was issued under a previous administration and even before Catherine Hartesveldt was appointed finance director, was intended for small business use. The application lists the annual revenue of the county, and Mr. Kiessel’s personal information, including salary and Social Security number, was included. The application states that the cardholder owns 25 percent of the “business.” Strange.

The motion that was passed unanimously by past commissioners capped the card’s line of credit at $4,500.

The county has three other credit cards, none of which resemble the one held by the Sheriff’s Office.

The late payment of that card came to the attention of the County Board first through public comment. I can put myself in two places — feeling remorse that the card was paid late in the unlikely event that credit repercussions may occur, and also understanding how a payment was missed by the finance department following an unprecedented level of turnover.

It takes awhile to adjust to the routines of any job.

Ms. Cypher personally met with and apologized to the wife of the Undersheriff. The issuance of a new credit card and discussion of the credit card policy will be agenda items on Tuesday.

As to the other half of Cardgate, interim administrator Cypher provided information in her email for that as well.

After administrator James Dyer was placed on administrative leave, Ms. Cypher learned that several items on statements had gone unpaid for months because no documentation in the form of receipts was provided for the administrator’s credit card. My understanding is that Finance Director Rio Risbridger refused to process purchases without verifying documentation.

Per the county credit card policy, “The County Finance/Accounting Department will review monthly invoices, and all charges must be backed up with a receipt. If no receipt is available, the individual making the charge will be required to reimburse the County for the charge.”

I give the Finance Director kudos. Recall that her predecessor was fired following a conversation in the hall of the county building with the treasurer in which she was alleged to have questioned a decision made by the former administrator. Her version of the discussion is entirely different. Regardless, she was fired for insubordination, which I interpret as at least partially a lack of loyalty. I prefer that public officials be loyal to policy, process, and truth rather than individuals, even their bosses. And I want them to be unintimidated in expressing their opinions in a respectful manner.

It took awhile for Ms. Cypher to unravel old emails and dig through paperwork to find the proper documentation. In the meantime, the credit card was used for the director and deputy director of the county Office of Emergency Management to reserve lodging for an out-of-town training trip. County officials scrambled and even consulted the county attorney after learning the card had been turned down. In the end, a payment solution was used that followed legal advise.

Ms. Cypher’s explanation of the extraordinary barriers county officials overcame to ensure proper financial protocol is both telling of their dedication — and somewhat humorous, at least after the exercise ended successfully. Please consider taking time to read her account.

Potpourri: More. Going on in Leelanau

August 7th 2026

First, kudos to the integral members of the Leelanau County workforce for keeping the lights working — shining, actually — during this time of transition. Despite upheaval at the top, county government continues serving constituents without a break or even slowdown.

Unfortunately, such a change will suck all the oxygen from the press room. Following are some of the issues that may have gone unnoticed.

Dam(n) Monitoring

Creates Funding Gap

By now, I would have thought we’d be close to signing a contract with an engineering firm to further investigate the structural health of the Leland Dam, which is owned by the county.

Instead, we’re suffering a bit from sticker shock.

Bids opened for dam monitoring, which will determine the speed of wear and tear on the structure, came in at $400,000. And that was just to determine if we have structural or cosmetic issues in the form of “spalling” — superficial deterioration — and a one-half-inch crack on the upstream face of the first pier. Those imperfections — or serious damage, depending upon the result of monitoring — were discovered in an initial report compiled by the Spicer Group, which has an office in Traverse City.

The report estimated the cost for monitoring, engineering, and repair at between $500,000 and $1.5 million. However, state grants were said to be available to cover 75-90 percent of the cost. In theory, that would lower the price tag for all three phases of the project to a more reasonable $50,000 to $300,000, the report estimated.

But with no grant in hand and a $400,000 bill just to monitor, the project is off to a less-than-auspicious start. The County Board at its April 21 meeting authorized the administration to apply for all grants mentioned in the Spicer Report, but apparently that hasn’t happened yet.

Following protocol, the next step is for the Leland Dam Authority to meet, likely not until mid-September due to scheduling conflicts.

With all that said, it’s important to keep the health of the dam in perspective. The Spicer Report put the chances of dam failure at one in ten to the minus fourth degree. I believe that’s close to zero.

Still, we need to work faster toward a long-range solution.

Big Ticket Items

Addressed by Planners

The 2027 county Capital Improvement Plan has been completed by the Planning and Community Development staff, recommended by the county Planning Commission, and forwarded to the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners for acceptance at its August meetings.

The many hands involved created a detailed document that contains more projects than I knew were sought by county staff. Therein lies the importance of the CIP: It lays everything on the table, with priorities as determined and weighed by the Planning Commission through staff reports. That, in turn, will help county commissioners determine where and just how far limited funding will go in completing as many of the projects as possible.

The inherent problem in CIPs, and here I mean no disrespect toward the people who diligently work to compile them, is their lack of connection to revenue sources. For instance, seven projects are listed as “urgent” and listed as needing funding in 2027. They add up to nearly $1.3 million. After subtracting the cost of keeping county government up and running, will that much money be available? Neither I nor any of my fellow commissioners can say now, as we are just now beginning the budget process.

Those projects listed as urgent for the next budget year are sewer plant control for LEC/government center ($40,000), exterior security cameras at government center ($50,000), after-market radio encryption ($89,637), Sheriff’s Office and emergency services mobile radio replacement ($393,090), Sheriff’s Office and emergency services radio replacement project ($644,578), engineering design for Leland Dam repairs ($43,750), and Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicles (no amount given as leasing options considered).

The Leland Dam repairs are also given future Priority One (urgent) status requiring annual payments of $43,750 from 2028-30.

Please consider reviewing the CIP to learn more about the long-range needs of county government.

The County Board, in following state law, cannot modify the CIP. It is allowed to either accept or reject the document in the form finalized by the county Planning Commission.

The Lease Dilemma With

The County Poor Barn

I (and others in county government) owe Joe VanderMeulen a big apology.

Joe and other members of the Leelanau County Historical Preservation Society have been working for a long time — maybe years — to update a lease agreement with Leelanau County, allowing them to dedicate a big part of their lives to community service. The society came to the rescue of the Leelanau Poor Barn as the county was on the verge of having it torn down and removed. Society members formed a nonprofit and went about restoring the barn and grounds, and are looking to change their lease to allow their volunteers to become even more viable contributors to the county. The group attracted some 220 people to a free concert held July 30 at the restored barn and facilities, with more concerts set for Aug. 6 and 13.

The concerts are designed after the highly popular “Music in the Park” series that has been a boon to Northport social life and tourism. People bring chairs and a blanket to soak in good music and Leelanau vibes.

The Poor Barn organization has great potential — and plans. Included are replacing the portable toilets with actual bathrooms. We’re talking real money.

But donors to the organization are looking for stability in its relationship with the county. Mr. VanderMeulen has brought this message to County Board and Parks and Recreation Commission meetings. Somewhere within county government, discussions outside of meetings were begun but not completed.

I talked with interim county administrator Lauren Cypher, who said she is researching past emails between the former administrator and an attorney representing Leelanau County about possible lease updates. She’s rekindling the effort.

Meanwhile, the message sent by the Parks Commission and County Board is that we appreciate the efforts of the preservation society, appreciate the funding and volunteer work put into restoring a landmark at Myles Kimmerly County Park, and fully see the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship long into the decades to come.