The abrupt resignation of Finance Director Rio Risbridger hung over Tuesday’s executive board meeting of the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners, where residents called for the recall or resignation of multiple commissioners and Risbridger excoriated the board for how she was treated during her six-month tenure.

Commissioners also moved toward hiring an interim finance director and declined to investigate a complaint recently filed against Interim County Administrator Lauren Cypher by District 1 Commissioner Rick Robbins.

Cypher told commissioners she had been “working pretty much non-stop” since Risbridger’s Friday afternoon resignation “to develop a swift stabilizing plan for the finance director.” She credited Chet Janik – a former Leelanau County administrator and current interim drain commissioner – for using his “deep, broad network” to identify an interim finance director candidate.

That candidate, Fabian Knizacky, “comes to us with more than 30 years as the administrator controller for Mason County,” Cypher said.

“I’m very glad that we’ll have such a highly experienced individual to step in,” Cypher said of Knizacky, who is tentatively slated to start next Tuesday, October 13, pending contract negotiations with Board Chair Steve Yoder. Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize Yoder to proceed.

Despite that move, Risbridger’s exit and what caused it remained a source of tension throughout Tuesday’s meeting. During public comment, multiple residents urged the board to devise a plan to hire Risbridger back, citing potential litigation exposure due to Risbridger’s whistleblower status. Risbridger had filed the complaint that led former County Administrator Jim Dyer to be placed on leave this summer. The county and Dyer later mutually agreed to separate.

“If the citizens of this county are sued because of your actions, I would lobby that you personally bear the expense,” Solon Township’s Steve Tostige said.

Tostige also called for the recall of commissioners Robbins and Ty Wessell, who had both accused Risbridger of ulterior motives during the county budgeting process. Robbins’ accusation – that Risbridger was manipulating building and grounds staffing numbers to push out longtime employees and get her husband a full-time job – ultimately led to her resignation.

“That would be fine with me, but I would prefer a quicker resolution,” Jim White, chair of the Leelanau County Republicans, said of Tostige’s recall demands. “Please ask [Robbins] – who has stormed out of three sessions of this board, verbally attacked and insulted Rio, physically accosted a member of your board, falsely claimed whistleblower status, and is now harassing your interim administrator with more false allegations – to resign, so that someone fit for his office can take his place.”

Those allegations against Cypher – that she lied to commissioners about a snafu with the county’s credit card system this summer – were the subject of a complaint Robbins recently filed. The board was slated to go into closed session Tuesday to discuss the complaint with legal counsel and consider a formal investigation into Cypher. Commissioners instead nixed the complaint without a closed-session discussion.

“I’d rather just have a vote that we’re not going to do the investigation and move on,” Yoder said. “I believe we’ve had enough distractions, and I just want to close this book out.” The board voted 6-1 in favor, with Robbins the only holdout.

The meeting culminated with an address by Risbridger, who read a 1,100-word statement during the session’s second public comment period. Risbridger said she “did not leave by choice,” but because of an escalating pattern of “retaliation” following her complaint about Dyer and the board’s decision to place him on administrative leave.

“The retaliation was not a single instant or a difficult stretch,” Risbridger said. “It was frequent, it was public, and it did not stop. My movements and leave were tracked. Conversations in my offices were reported to commissioners. My workload increased while I was required to correct the errors that were not my responsibility. My work was criticized, in the open and in the press. I parked at different entrances to avoid being watched, and I lost sleep over potential errors and how they might be used against me.”

“None of this happened without the county’s knowledge,” she added. “I reported it, in writing, to the county’s attorneys as it occurred, and I’ve kept a record of each event.”

Risbridger confirmed she decided to resign after being contacted by The Ticker last Friday seeking comment on Robbins’ allegation that she was trying to secure her husband a bigger job in the facilities department.

“That allegation was the point at which I could no longer continue,” she said, adding that she expects the negative “public statements” about her and her work “will follow me well beyond this building.”

“None of this conduct was hidden, and its outcome was predictable,” she said. “No one should have to work under these conditions, and while I have tried, I could not. I did not resign, I was forced out. I was left with no other option.”

In the closing minutes of the meeting, multiple commissioners apologized to Risbridger for how she was treated.

“I wish I could go back and change some of the things I did as chair,” Yoder said, noting he didn’t do enough to curb the “attacking of employees” by board members. “I want to make it clear that I’m not going to allow that to happen anymore.”