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February 9, 2012

Janik tapped for Leelanau administrator

By Bill O'Brien bobrien@record-eagle.com

SUTTONS BAY — Chet Janik hopes to come home.

The Leelanau County board offered its administrator job to Janik, who came to Leelanau as a child when his parents emigrated from Poland. He will meet with county officials to negotiate a contract next week.

"I feel I have talents and skills that would be a good match for Leelanau County, and that's why I applied," Janik said.

Board Chairman Tom Van Pelt said Janik stood out from four "very, very good candidates" who interviewed for the post this week. Finalists included Elmwood Township Supervisor Jack Kelly; former board chairman Robert Hawley, of Glen Arbor; and David Mackie, public service director for the city of Taylor.

"(Janik's) got a lot of ties to the community, and we think he's a proper fit," Van Pelt said.

Janik spent more than 30 years working in public education in northern Michigan. He started at Northwestern Michigan College in 1980 and served in administrative posts for 21 years. He then worked for the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District and served as Buckley Community Schools superintendent from 2004-07. He left Buckley for the superintendent job at Charlevoix Public Schools, where he's currently employed.

Through it all, Janik continued to live in southern Leelanau County, where his wife Jane led the county Commission on Aging back in the 1980s.

"I grew up there, I went to school there--I feel a passion for Leelanau County," he said. "No matter what position I had, I've kept my home in Leelanau County."

The administrator post opened in late October when Eric Cline resigned after a little more than two years on the job. Former administrator David Gill, who retired in 2008, is filling in on a part-time basis.

Commissioners previously talked about finding a new board aide with county government experience. Van Pelt acknowledged Janik could have "somewhat of a learning curve." But, officials are comfortable with his experience and familiarity with union contract negotiations.

Janik, 54, may have to take a pay cut. Commissioners want to keep the salary near the $69,700 pay rate Cline earned. Janik's current school contract pays him more than $102,000 a year.

"He said he'd be comfortable with something less than that," Van Pelt said. "We're very confident we can come to an agreement."

Plenty of tasks await the new administrator. Van Pelt said the board wants to streamline the budget process and make personnel operation changes. There's also a raft of lawsuits involving the county sheriff's department, although Van Pelt said some litigation is winding down.

"Hopefully we're on the road to getting to the end of some of those," Van Pelt said.

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