Joe Moss, Ottawa County Firebrand, Accused of Forgery, Inflating Numbers for Better Retirement

Entry Overview: In 2025, Ottawa County leaders decided not to pursue an ethics complaint against Joe Moss for allegedly giving misleading information to get inflated severance for a former employee. A commissioner on the Ottawa County Board, led by Moss, accused Moss of forging documents and misleading commissioners in a lawsuit. 

Key Facts:

• Joe Moss faced an ethics complaint over alleged inflated retirement numbers for outgoing county employees

• A lawsuit claimed that the previous board’s votes to approve separation agreements with two former county staff members, Jordan Epperson and Benjamin Wetmore, violated the Open Meetings Act. 

• Epperson was awarded a nearly $110,000 payout with five months of benefits, based in part on alleged claims he had against the county for wrongdoing. Wetmore received $175,000. 

Why it Matters: Joe Moss is seeking to represent his community in Lansing and yet he was accused of violating the Open Meetings Act and of giving overly generous severance payments to two former county employees while doing so.

Full Entry: Joe Moss Faced an ethics complaint accusing him of giving misleading information to get inflated severance for a former government employee. Ultimately, Ottawa County leaders decided not to pursue the complaint. 

A fellow commissioner on the Ottawa County Board, led by Moss, accused Moss of forging documents and misleading commissioners in a lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed that the previous board’s votes to approve separation agreements with two former county staff members, Jordan Epperson and Benjamin Wetmore, violated the Open Meetings Act. Epperson was awarded a nearly $110,000 payout with five months of benefits, based in part on alleged claims he had against the county for wrongdoing. Wetmore received $175,000. 

Moreover, during the closed session to award these payouts, Moss claimed the human resources attorney, Nate Wolf, was not available when other commissioners asked for him. Wolf signed an affidavit saying he was never asked to attend the meeting and did not provide financial advice. Moss argued that he did no wrongdoing.

Ottawa County deserves answers to questions about if the Open Meetings Act was violated, why Moss and a human resources attorney have differing stories about the meeting and how Moss would act as a steward of the state budget.