GAYLORD — Otsego County now has a new administrator after commissioners unanimously approved a three-year contract for Fred Ventresco on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
Ventresco is currently living in Kansas and working as a financial advisor. According to his LinkedIn profile, Ventresco has nearly 20 years of experience in government administration and for 18 of the years he was a “town/city manager/administrator of full-service communities and organizations.”
Ventresco said he has managed staffs of 80 and dealt with budgets totaling $21 million in communities with a population ranging from 1,300 to 9,500. Otsego County Board Chairman Brett McVannel said Ventresco’s last administrator position was with the town of Pinetops, North Carolina, a community of about 1,200 in Edgecombe County.
“He had stepped away from public administration and found that he missed it too much and now is going back to it,” McVannel said. “Fred has a lot of experience and has done it his whole career. It’s very common for administrators to do a three-year stint and then move on. He was looking for something that is just a touch bigger than (Pinetops) and our county fits that. He expects this to be the place where he retires and lives for a long time.”
Ventresco’s starting salary will be just under $115,000 annually. He replaces Matt Barresi, who decided to step away when his contract expired last month.
Ventresco said the county seems ideally matched to his skills.
“I was looking for a community about this size. I have been managing local governments for 18 years and this will be my first county,” Ventresco said. “When I visited for my first interview it was everything that I expected and more.”
Ventresco said Gaylord is what he called “a full-service community that fits all of my criteria. I want everyone to know I am a dedicated public servant and I love public service. I want to make a positive difference for Otsego County and do as many good things that I can for the area.”
He hopes to begin his duties by the middle of next month.
Commissioner Neil Drzewiecki is looking forward to Ventresco’s arrival.
“I am just hoping he assimilates into the community and hits the ground running. I look forward to working with him,” said Drzewiecki.
Venteresco has no ties to the county and Drzewiecki sees that as a positive and a potential negative.
“I can see pros and cons to that. It’s nice to have a fresh perspective and have someone come in and bring some new ideas, especially things that have worked in different communities,” he said.
“I think it was important for us to do our own homework, which the ad hoc committee did on this,” added commissioner Rob Weaver, alluding to the board’s decision to not hire a consultant for the search process. “I think we needed some outside ears and perhaps a fresh start. We have someone who has serious administrative experience so we are not hiring a rookie.”
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Otsego County board approves veteran administrator to fill vacant role
Reporting by Paul Welitzkin, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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