The battle within Leelanau County government has widened, with multiple county officials alleging that members of the county clerk’s office participated in a behind-the-scenes effort to remove County Administrator Jim Dyer.

The accusations represent the latest development in an escalating dispute involving finances and county government administration. Dyer remains on paid administrative leave while the county investigates a complaint filed against him last month by Finance Director Rio Risbridger.

Dyer first described the alleged effort to oust him in his 13,000-word written response to Risbridger’s complaint. He claimed former Finance Director Cathy Hartesvelt, who previously worked in the clerk’s office, sought a meeting in early January with County Treasurer John Gallagher and Chief Deputy Clerk Jennifer Zywicki to discuss securing enough commissioner votes to terminate him.

Hartesvelt has denied that allegation through her attorney.

Gallagher, however, provided The Ticker with a sworn statement supporting portions of Dyer’s account.

According to Gallagher, several county officials contacted him on January 6 about the county’s self-insured health plan. Those discussions included County Clerk Michelle Crocker, Zywicki, and Hartesvelt.

The county’s health plan had become a significant point of disagreement during the 2026 budget process. Dyer recommended increasing the stop-loss deductible — the amount the county would pay before additional insurance coverage applied — from $20,000 to $50,000 per employee as a way to control rising insurance costs. Other officials feared the change could create serious short-term cash flow issues.

Gallagher says the conversations initially focused on those financial concerns and appeared intended to persuade him to oppose Dyer’s recommendation at a January 9 county commission meeting.

He alleges, however, that his conversations with Crocker and Zywicki went further.

Specifically, Gallagher says statements were made suggesting that if commissioners approved the higher stop-loss amount, or selected a different insurance program without seeking formal proposals, there would be efforts to terminate Dyer and recall County Board Chair Steve Yoder.

District 1 Commissioner Rick Robbins also tells The Ticker that Crocker called him in December and directly advocated for Dyer’s removal.

“She called me and started talking to me about Dyer, and how he's not doing his job, he's taking us down the wrong road, and so on,” Robbins says. “She told me, ‘We need to get rid of Dyer,’ and part of that equation was to get Yoder recalled.”

Robbins says Crocker then referred to commissioners Ty Wessell, Gwenne Allgaier, Yoder, and Robbins as the group “running this county.”

“I had to say, ‘Michelle, do you even know who you're talking to?’” Robbins recalls.

The Ticker contacted Crocker last Wednesday seeking a response to the allegations and to broader accusations of interference made by Dyer. Crocker requested time to prepare a written statement and agreed to respond by Monday evening, but had not done so as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Zywicki disputes Gallagher’s characterization of the events.

In a written statement, she said she had been asked to participate in discussions about the health insurance fund because of her 17 years of experience in the county’s accounting and finance department. She said officials were concerned that the proposed insurance changes could leave the fund short of cash.

Zywicki did not describe participating in any effort to fire Dyer.

Inquiries to Hartesvelt were referred to her attorney, Blake Ringsmuth, who shared a written statement on her behalf.

“Cathy Hartesvelt absolutely denies engaging in the type of discussion alleged by John Gallagher in his ‘statement’ to you,” Ringsmuth wrote. “Furthermore, his ‘statement’ contains purposely ambiguous and misleading language related to Ms. Hartesvelt and others. At best he says that ‘it appeared’ to him that others wanted him to contradict Mr. Dyer’s position and his supposition on what other’s intentions were. This is not true and neither Mr. Dyer, nor the propriety of the change in the health plan, was discussed in the very short conversation she had with him. It is true that Ms. Hartesvelt was concerned about how the proposed changes in the county’s health plan would impact the county’s cash flow, and wanted Mr. Gallagher to be aware so that he could take whatever action he deemed necessary with the county’s financial holdings to avoid any cash flow shortages should they arise.”

Ringsmuth declined to say whether Hartesvelt was pursuing legal action against the county in the wake of her termination, but noted: “It is my expectation that Mr. Gallagher, and others, will be answering questions about this ‘statement’ under oath in the not too distant future.”

Dyer placed Hartesvelt on leave January 9 and fired her approximately a month later for insubordination. He cited the disputed discussions with Gallagher as one reason.

Reached Tuesday, Dyer says the episode reflects a long-running pattern of interference by the clerk’s office.

“I knew that I was walking into a pit of vipers back in March 2025, and I’d still do it even if I knew this was going to be the outcome,” Dyer says. “These issues have been going since way before I showed up.”

Dyer says the county board has limited ability to address his concerns because Crocker is independently elected and does not report to board or the county administrator.

Former County Administrator Deb Allen, who served from December 2022 to April 2024, tells The Ticker the allegations made by Dyer and Gallagher “have merit.” She declined to elaborate, saying she is legally restricted in what she can discuss.

Yoder also declined to comment.

The county’s investigation into Risbridger’s whistleblower complaint appeared to conclude at a special meeting last week, but Dyer's fate remains in question. It is not yet clear whether the allegations regarding the clerk’s office will be formally investigated by county commissioners.

Pictured: Dyer (left), Crocker (right)