COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Two applications have been filed by candidates who are interested in being the next Branch County Public Defender.
Current Public Defender Terri Norris won the G.O.P. Primary for County Prosecutor in August and is running unopposed in the November General Election. She is scheduled to take over as Prosecutor on January 1, 2027.
The process to select the next Public Defender falls under the Board of Commissioners. A request from County Administrator Frank Walsh to form a five person search committee was brought forward by the Commissioners during their work session on Thursday with formal action set for next Tuesday’s meeting.
The application period for the position is now closed. Interviews with the two unnamed candidates are scheduled for October 16. The committee would be led by County Commissioner Jon Houtz who serves as the Commissioner’s Personnel Chair. Also serving would be District Court Administrator Sarah Collins, County Clerk Chris Ransbottom, County Treasurer Steve Rutz, and Walsh.
Following the interviews, Houtz will bring a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners work session on Thursday, October 22. Walsh says the appointment would be a “conditional employment” based on the results of the November 3 election.
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