Grand Chute selects three candidates for new town administrator
GRAND CHUTE - Three finalists have been announced for Grand Chute's next town administrator, following the firing of Jim March in May.
The town board began the process for a new administrator in June and has narrowed it down to the following candidates:
Rebecca Glewen, Beaver Dam mayor since 2017
Richard Heath, Town of Algoma administrator since 2019
Diane Wessel, former Village of Bellevue administrator from 2018 to 2021 and former Village of Hortonville administrator from 2015 to 2018
“The Town Board has been thorough in its search, to date, to arrive at our final candidates,” Town Board Chairperson Jason Van Eperen said in a Friday press release. “We are pleased with the quality of the candidates that applied.”
To move forward in the selection process, the candidates will undergo a two-day assessment later this month.
The search for a new town administrator comes after the Town Board fired March without cause on May 2 after meeting in closed session. Town Chair Jason Van Eperen and supervisors Beth English, Jeff Ings and Ron Wolff voted for the termination. Supervisor Brad Gehring opposed it.
March had been town administrator since December 2008 and had a pay rate of $78.39 an hour, plus benefits.
Following March's exit, the town board recruited Jeff O'Dell, a former village administrator in Roselle, Illinois, to serve as interim town administrator until a replacement has been chosen. O'Dell is working three days a week for $95 an hour, plus hotel expenses.
Sophia Voight can be reached at svoight@postcrescent.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Grand Chute names three candidates in town administrator search
