Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent
The Clintonville Common Council hopes to have a new city administrator in place in June.
The council last week reviewed advertisements for the position, a community profile and time table prepared by interim City Administrator Chuck Nell.
The deadline for applications is April 2. Council members will review the candidates from April 13-17 and select finalists for interviews, which will be completed by May 1.
Basic candidate requirements include a bachelor’s degree in public administration, community and economic development or related field, and five years of municipal administration. The anticipated salary for the position is $73,000 to $80,000.
Former City Administrator Lisa (Kuss) Kotter, who resigned in September, was making $80,200 annually. She recently accepted a similar position in Geneseo, Illinois, that pays $90,000.
“The city is looking for an administrator with excellent interpersonal skills, an approachable welcoming style with the community and staff, and a collaborative, team-oriented management style,” Nell said.
According to the job description, the new administrator will be expected to aggressively market Clintonville as a “choice location” in Northeast Wisconsin to live and work because of qualify of life, education and employment opportunities.
Several major initiatives await the new administrator. The city has significant public infrastructure deficiencies that need to be evaluated and addressed, including the waste water treatment plant, aging sewer and water collection and distribution system, public street infrastructure, the municipal outdoor swimming pool and city-owned recreation center.
Nell was asked if the recent turmoil among residents, the council and mayor would make it more difficult to fill the position. He said it could.
Nell was hired after Kotter resigned in September after two suspensions and months of controversy. Her resignation took effect just eight days after her 17-year anniversary as the city administrator. The city agreed to pay Kotter through May 15, 2015, and Kotter agreed not to file any complaints against the city.
Her departure, according to a joint news release issued by Kotter and the city, was not based on any misconduct but rather on “philosophical and stylistic differences.”
Kotter was initially suspended May 13 by the Common Council after members raised undisclosed allegations against her.
The council voted 6-4 on May 27 to extend Kotter’s suspension and refer allegations of misconduct to the city’s labor attorney. Mayor Judith Magee vetoed that vote June 2, and Kotter returned to work.
On June 10, the council, with a 6-4 vote, failed to override Magee’s veto, falling one vote short of the required supermajority. Many city residents spoke in support of Kotter and Magee at the June meeting, which had to be moved from City Hall to the Community Center because of the overflow crowd.
The council then voted 7-3 in July to indefinitely place Kotter on administrative leave while continuing its investigation.
Although the council never discussed its concerns about Kotter in open session, area media reported the allegations involved misuse of city funds for family vacations while on work trips. Kotter said she did nothing wrong.
The controversy, at least in part, prompted resident William VanDaalwyk to launch a successful recall effort against District 4 Alderman Greg Rose. It was the first recall in city history.
Mayor Judith Magee also has clashed with council members. Magee took a medical leave of absence from Oct. 1 to Nov. 26 citing stresses of the job and working with the Common Council. In December, council members accused her of illegally authorizing checks.