A complaint filed by former Ottawa County senior executive aide Jordan Epperson details an alleged toxic work environment under previous administrator John Gibbs and the board of commissioners.
Epperson, then 23, began in his role in August 2023, several weeks after Gibbs refused to publicly name him during a board meeting. The hire led to an age discrimination lawsuit from fellow candidate Ryan Kimball; which was settled for $225,000 in September 2024.
Kimball sued after alleged comments made by Gibbs were shared during a termination hearing for Health Officer Adeline Hambley in October 2023. According to testimony from former deputy administrator — now administrator — Patrick Waterman and former human resources director Marcie VerBeek, Gibbs wanted to hire Epperson because he was “young” and could be “bossed around.”…