Tim Cook is retiring as the 72nd District Court administrator in April. He has held the county position since 2005. (Tony Wittkowski | Times Herald)
By Tony Wittkowski | Local Government Reporter | The Times Herald
Tim Cook is retiring as St. Clair County District Court administrator and moving to a job with the state of Michigan.
“My tenure came to an end because I maxed out my benefits here,” Cook said. “That’s the only reason why I’m leaving the position.”
Cook said he made up his mind to retire two months ago after reaching the top tier for pay and benefits. He noticed the state position became available at the end of November.
Cook has worked for St. Clair County more than three decades. He officially leaves the county payroll on April 17, but his last day at work will be March 6. He will use accumulated vacation days from March 6 to April 17.
As district court administrator, Cook coordinated court security, directed staff in charge of processing civil and criminal cases and other non-judicial functions.
Cook’s new job will be a management analyst for the state court administrator’s office in the Detroit regional office, providing assistance to trial courts in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
Cook has been district court administrator since 2005. He will retire at the age of 58 and is from East China Township.
Before working as court administrator, Cook was a custody investigator for the Friend of the Court and later processed personal protection orders for Circuit Court.
“St. Clair County has been good to me and my family over the years,” Cook said. “I’ll miss the people I have worked with the most.”
Chief Judge Daniel Kelly was aware that Cook would be eligible for retirement in 2015.
“I had some indication we might not have him around for a whole lot longer. When I learned he would be working for the state court administrator’s office, I was really happy for him because I know that office fairly well,” Kelly said. “I know they will benefit from his expertise.”
Kelly added that it will be tough to duplicate what Cook has been able to create in his time with the court.
“He has a real good rapport with the employees. They trust him and that’s something that doesn’t come naturally,” Kelly said. “You would like to keep the drama in the courtroom and out of the office and he has done just that.”
The job opening is posted on the county’s website and will remain there through March 6. The position pays between $66,000 and $87,000 annually.
District judges will choose what applicants will be interviewed for the job.
Jim Stoutmeyer, head of human resources for the county, said there is no set deadline for filling the position.
Contact Tony Wittkowski at (810) 989-6270 or twittkowsk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.
(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on March 2, 2015)
Tony Wittkowski 