Grand Traverse County Interim Administrator Jean Derenzy is set to leave her position to become the new CEO of Traverse City's Downtown Development Authority (DDA) effective March 1.

DDA board members approved proposed employment contract terms with Derenzy at their Friday meeting. The terms include an $85,000 annual salary and benefits package, as well as a proposed March 1 start date. The contract originally proposed a February 19 start date, but the date was delayed following the sudden resignation of County Administrator Vicki Uppal this week. Uppal's departure - coming on the heels of a string of recent leadership resignations and terminations in Grand Traverse County - leaves Derenzy as one of the few remaining long-term county department heads helping to steer operations in the organization.

Before approving her contract terms, DDA board members questioned Derenzy Friday about her level of certainty on leaving the county and being able to start with the DDA March 1. "I know your circumstances are beyond your control at the county," said Mayor Jim Carruthers. "(But) we’ve waited quite a long time for you to sort of end things with the county, and now more chaos is happening there. It’s frustrating. We’re being held up by a process that we have no control over, and we’ve offered you a job and we’d like you to start...we need to move forward, and we can’t be responsible for the county and their actions."

Derenzy, who said she was "thrilled at this opportunity" to work for the DDA and was reviewing the DDA's budgets and plans to prepare for her transition, said she was committed to the organization. "This is the direction I am going," she said. "I have not waivered on that. I want to move this (contract) through to your board and to the city commission on February 5. I look forward to starting on the first."

Board member T. Michael Jackson asked: "I appreciate that, Jean, but if the county is fiddling around and they can’t come up with somebody, are you committed to say...I’ve given you my time, I’m done?" Derenzy replied: "Yes. March 1 is the start date with the DDA." She added that she appreciated board members' concerns, but noted that contract negotations had been proceeding at a regular pace behind the scenes leading up to the board's first review of the terms Friday.

"I don’t think the county has held anything up," she said. "I think the contract has moved forward as quickly as it could. This is the first time you’ve seen the contract...I’m excited about it. I can’t say anything more. I went through this public process on an interview. You don’t do that just to do it. This is the job that I’m committed to."

Several board members thanked Derenzy for her committment to the DDA, as well as her handling of the transitional stress coming from the county. "I appreciate your integrity and trying to not leave the county, who is in somewhat disarray at this point, in any bigger lurch than they already are," said Board Member Scott Hardy. "I appreciate that there’s a great deal of stress in your life pulling at you from all different directions. I appreciate the professionalism with which you’re leaving one job and coming to another, and I can wait until March 1. I think that’s important for our other governmental bodies in this area."

Derenzy's contract next heads to Traverse City commissioners for final approval.