News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Jeff Knoop responds to a question presented to him during his interview before the Alpena County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday. Knoop was selected from a pool of four finalists to be the new Alpena County Administrator. He must first pass a background check and reach a contract agreement with the county before coming to work in early to mid September.

ALPENA — It appears Alpena County has its new county administrator.

After four hours of public interviews and an hour of deliberation on Wednesday, the Alpena County Board of Commissioners voted 8-0 to offer the job to Jeff Knoop, assistant executive director and deputy prosecuting attorney for Marion County, Indiana.

Knoop’s hiring is contingent on passing a background check, and reaching a contract agreement with the county. He said during his interview he could begin his new job in early to mid September.

After learning he had been selected by the commissioners to become one of the primary faces of the county, Knoop said the news made him speechless.

“I’m so excited,” he said. “I’m not even sure what to say. It’s an absolute honor and I’m glad I was selected.”

The commissioners whittled the field down from four finalists to two, with their second choice being Mary Catherine Hannah, who is currently on the executive committee and is a founding member of Little Traverse Bay Housing Partnership.

Prior to that, she was the executive director of the regional development office of the Presbyterian Villages of Michigan.

The board recorded a pair of deadlock, 4-4 votes on the final two candidates, before further discussion changed the mind of several of the commissioners.

The board liked all of the candidates, which also included Adam Poll, who is a familiar face in Alpena. He is currently the President and CEO of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce and worked prior to that as the Planning and Development Director of the City of Alpena for seven years.

The fourth candidate was Janet Koch.

Koch is the only candidate that is currently working as an administrator, as she has served in that role for Wexford County since 2019. Prior to that, she was the Community Development Director of the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance in Boyne City. From 2013-2017, she was the deputy county administrator and associate planner for Antrim County.

The commissioners liked Knoop’s even-keel demeanor and the enthusiasm and passion he showed when talking about Alpena and Northeast Michigan. Knoop also indicated he intends to serve the county for many years and be a resident.