Manager field narrowed
JANESVILLE — The Janesville City Council will interview five candidates for city manager.
Manager Steve Sheiffer has said he will retire in September.
The names were released this morning.
They are:
-- Kevin M. Brunner, city manager of Whitewater, a city about 20 miles from Janesville with a population of 14,000 and a university.
-- David A. Hales, director of finance/administrative services in West Jordan, Utah, a southern suburb of Salt Lake City with a population of 101,000. The city is the fourth-largest in Utah.
-- John C. “Jay” Krauss, manager of Lewiston, Idaho, a city of 31,164 located in far western Idaho. He has been manager there since February 2000, according to the city’s Web site. He has a degree in public administration.
-- William R. Ross, administrator of Jackson, Mich., a city of 36,000 about 36 miles west of Ann Arbor. He oversees daily operations there under the supervision of a mayor and council.
-- Donald J. Carlsen, management services director for Naperville, Ill. The city is about 35 miles west of Chicago and a population of 136,000, according to the city’s Web site.
“I am very pleased with the quality of the candidates and excited about meeting them during the interview process,” Janesville City Council President Amy Loasching said in a news release.
The council will interview candidates July 14 and 15, with second interviews July 16.
Candidates will get a tour of the city and be interviewed by a panel of community members.
The council previously scheduled public meetings asking guidance on what members should look for in choosing a manager.
“We appreciated all of the input we received in those early meetings,” Loasching said.
“The information, opinions, and insights were very helpful to the city council and our consultant as we decided which candidates to bring in for an interview.”
The application deadline was May 30.
The council received 39 applicants, but one of the six finalists dropped out by the time the council narrowed the field Monday night.
It is expected that the council will make a job offer in August, with the new city manager starting in fall.
The city has been working with an Illinois recruiting firm.
Jun 26, 2008 at 9:56 a.m.
Suggest removal
raystone:
The Oshkosh City Manager position was filled by Mark Rohloff of Grand Chute several weeks ago.
To my knowledge Mr. Brunner is not a finalist anywhere else at the moment.
Jun 26, 2008 at 9:15 a.m.
Suggest removal
Kevin Brunner is currently a finalist for the Oshkosh City Manager job. If he gets it, he's out. The 2 gentlemen from the western U.S., unless they have family ties in the midwest, may end up changing their mind about relocating and drop out. The Administrator in Michigan most likely has very little, if any, experience speaking to the press, and little public relations experience. I hope Carlsen is well qualified and things go well with him if these finalists are the only options !
Jun 25, 2008 at 6:38 p.m.
Suggest removal
marymac4, city management is a specialized field. We would be tremendously lucky to have a local person with the exact qualifications we're looking for when the position is open. It just doesn't work that way.
.
Also, a city manager with experience in a similar situation as Janesville faces would also be a rare find. Ultimately one hires this type of position based on more general skills and talents such as people management or diplomacy. Short-term needs such as recovery from an economic blow are better served by bringing in, yes, consultants who know that situation well. When they are no longer needed, the consultant is no longer employed, as with any other temporary staffing need.
.
And in the end, the things that a community does to recover from a loss of jobs is basically the same sort of thing that they do anyway. Create an attractive base for development, pitch your community to expanding businesses, and so forth. It isn't as unique a situation as it sounds.
Jun 25, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
Marymac, apparently no one qualified applied for the job. I believe there's a benefit in bringing in an outsider; someone that comes in without the history of how things "used to be", without knowledge of the "movers and shakers", without his/her own special agenda, etc. An outsider comes in with enthusaism, a clean slate and an open mind. With all that is going on in Janesville, I think it's great to get new blood leading the City.
Jun 25, 2008 at 4:28 p.m.
Suggest removal
Marymac, maybe you're not thinking about the credentials of the candidates. Any "Joe Schmoe" from Janesville could have applied. There were only 39 applications and these are five of the six candidates chosen. Those sound like pretty good odds and I'm sure that there weren't that many Janesville applicants.
Jun 25, 2008 at 3:42 p.m.
Suggest removal
NOONE qualify from the area it would be nice to have state or hometown people to be concidered as outsiders have little knowledge as to the City we live in!!!!!!! Why do we always seem to look away for what we need here?
Jun 25, 2008 at 3:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
It could be a real coo to get Donald Carlsen from Naperville IL. The town used to be really small and quaint (like Janesville ions ago) and has not only grown tremendously but also is looked upon as a leader in town development. It's been listed in Money magazine as one of the top US cities to live in, has a river running through it and has developed a top notch river front. Although it has all the big box stores, their old downtown thrives with many shops and restaurants. just my two cents....
Jun 25, 2008 at 10:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
Does any of the candidates have experience with a community losing a major employer and its industrial base?
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.