Grand Traverse County commissioners voted 5-2 Wednesday night to part ways with County Administrator Dave Benda – leaving both the county and the city with gaps in their top leadership roles.

Commissioners Carol Crawford, Alisa Kroupa, Christine Maxbauer, Dan Lathrop and Bob Johnson voted to inform Benda of their intent to non-renew his contract, which expires at the end of 2015. Benda has been with the county since 2012 and earns an annual salary of $121,800 plus benefits. Commissioners Addison “Sonny” Wheelock and Ron Clous opposed Benda’s ouster.

“My reason for making this motion is I really believe the board is going in a new direction,” said Maxbauer, who also noted she had cast the “lone no vote” against Benda’s original contract. Crawford echoed Maxbauer’s remarks, citing the board’s recent decision to hire a results-based budgeting firm and her concern that Benda wasn’t fully supportive of the county’s new financial direction.

“I just couldn’t see moving forward with somebody so hesitant about that process,” Crawford tells The Ticker. “That determined my vote. I have no issues with his ability as an administrator. I think he’s been excellent.”

Clous said he heard from several county employees who “spoke highly” of Benda in his capacity as administrator. “They would be very saddened to see him go,” Clous said. Wheelock also said Benda was “a very highly respected” leader who had the “vision and experience” the county needed. “What he’s been able to accomplish here is great when we talk about the economic conditions the county has been in,” Wheelock said.

In a three-page letter to the board, Benda defended his accomplishments. Citing the elimination of the county’s structural deficit, as well as investments in technology efficiencies and capital improvements during his tenure, Benda pointed out five-year projections showed “the county is on the road to long-term financial stability.”

“I’m a hard worker and I’ve done a good job as your county administrator,” he told commissioners Wednesday night. “But I also understand sometimes boards want to go in a new direction with new members.”

The recent turnover of a majority of board seats was likely a key factor in Benda’s departure. Five out of seven commissioners in December said Benda was “meeting or exceeding expectations.” However, four of those members left office at the end of the year. Incoming commissioners have questioned everything from Benda’s contract terms to what they perceived as his failure to keep them informed on Cass Road bridge funding issues, while two veteran commissioners – Maxbauer and Lathrop – gave Benda a failing grade in his December review.

“We had a lot more experience on the old board,” Benda acknowledges. “Now we’ve got a lot of inexperienced folks. They’re feeling their way, and they want to do new and exciting things. I don’t hold anything against them. They just wanted somebody else.”

Benda’s contract stipulates that once notified by commissioners of an intent to non-renew, he can seek other employment while receiving six month’s salary and benefits. Though Maxbauer suggested July 1 as a timeline for Benda’s departure, the county administrator tells the The Ticker he has “to think about” the right date to leave.

“There are a lot of projects I’m involved in I just can’t cut off,” Benda says. “I’d like to get an HR director hired. I’d like to get the Commission on Aging director hired. We have contracts with the city that need to be put to bed. As quickly as possible, I’m going to try and get things to the point…where it won’t be a complete mess when I leave.”

Benda says he plans to still remain in the Grand Traverse area but is unsure of his next step. When asked if he would consider applying for Traverse City’s open city manager position, Benda demurs.

“There are a lot of skilled city managers out there,” he says. “I’ve never been a city manager. This has been the most demanding job I’ve ever had in county government. I think I'd like to take a little break."