Waukesha names 4 administrator finalists
Waukesha - City officials have narrowed the number of finalists for city administrator to four, including two from Wisconsin and two from out of state, and spent Thursday interviewing the candidates.
All four are current municipal managers or administrators in smaller communities.
The four are:
Kenneth L. Witt, administrator of Sparta, a community of 9,590, since 2001.
Aaron Oppenheimer, village administrator of Bellevue, Wis., population 15,050, since 2007.
Shawn J. Gillen, city administrator of Grand Rapids, Minn., population 11,800, since 2007.
Thomas W. Barwin, village manager of Oak Park, Ill., population 53,000, from 2006 until March 1 of this year.
Waukesha's population is about 70,000.
In an email Friday, Waukesha Mayor Jeff Scrima said the process is on track for his recommendation of a city administrator to the Common Council for confirmation at a special meeting scheduled for June 26.
A contract will be negotiated in the next few weeks, presumably with a salary in the range of $110,000 to $140,000 - the amount set by the council.
Waukesha's last city administrator, Lori Luther, who was paid $117,000, left in August 2011 for a job as Peoria County (Ill.) administrator. Since then, Community Development Director Steve Crandell has been serving as interim city administrator.