Twp. search for new chief beginning

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The Lake Township trustees are expected to name an interim fire chief at their next meeting while a search commences for a replacement for Barrett Dorner, who announced his resignation last week.
Dorner’s resignation is effective June 4 but he is taking unused vacation days and personal time off, Mark Hummer, police chief and administrator, said.
Deputy chief Dave Henninger has been overseeing the day-to-day operations of the department until an interim chief is named, Hummer said, adding that Henninger is the likely choice for interim chief.
The trustees’ next meeting is May 21.
Barrett, who had been Lake Township’s fire chief for about 1 ½ years, opted to step down on his own volition. He replaced Bruce Moritz as chief.
Barrett’s letter of resignation didn’t offer a reason for his decision.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity. It’s been a pleasure to serve the citizens of Lake Township,” he wrote.
“Like anyone in those positions, you have your supporters and your detractors and I think he just decided to seek out other opportunities. He’s a young, well educated guy. He was not asked to resign but did so on his own accord,” Hummer said. “We wish him well and thank him for the work he did for the township while he was here. We’re still going to need to address the fire department and the volume of calls and the availability of personnel.”
There were indications some in the fire department were disgruntled with Dorner as chief in November 2023 when a 4.2-mill property tax was on the ballot.
Posts on Facebook and other sites said there was a lack of confidence in his leadership and there were more qualified candidates for the post within the department.
Dorner came to Lake Township from the Portage Fire District in Ottawa County.
The ballot issue fell by a wide margin: 63.7 percent against to 36.3 percent for and even some department members expressed opposition to the ballot issue.
In addition to hiring a new fire chief, Hummer said the priority for the township now is to seek renewal of a 1-mill, 5-year levy that will be on the November ballot.
The levy, one of four that fund the township’s fire and EMS operations, generates about $237,000 annually.