Sheboygan’s city administrator search down to two finalists
SHEBOYGAN - City of Sheboygan has named Casey Bradley and Jesse Thyes finalists for the city administrator position.
Sheboygan has not had an active city administrator since the city council put former administrator Todd Wolf on leave in November. He was later fired by the council in early January.
Bradley has been city administrator of Baraboo since 2020 and Thyes has been village administrator of Grafton since 2016. The city said both are credentialed managers through the International City/County Management Association.
Bradley and Thyes were selected as finalists from a pool of more than 30 candidates through a process involving national recruitment firm GovHR USA, the common council and mayor’s selection committee. The candidates were narrowed down after a series of interviews.
Former city administrator: An investigation found former Sheboygan city administrator's conduct may have violated city policies. He is suing, claiming he was targeted.
The city said the common council expects the next step in the process to happen the week of July 31 and include another interview and a chance for the candidates to meet the rest of the common council and the city’s management team.
City administrator is Sheboygan's highest-paid city position and the city hopes to have someone in place this fall.
The city’s Human Resources and Labor Relations director, Adam Westbrook, told the Sheboygan Press in May that the city hoped to have a new administrator in place by August or September.
The city administrator is the city’s highest-paid position, and the new administrator will start at a minimum $150,000 salary — which can be negotiated up by the candidate — in addition to benefits, Westbrook told the Sheboygan Press.
The city council created the city administrator position in 2011 to provide more consistency in city management and better long-term planning. The city council also believed a city administrator would improve communication among departments and between department heads and elected officials, as well as remove some politics from decision-making, according to a study contracted by the city.
Sexual harassment investigation: Top Sheboygan officials lacked key details on police department sexual harassment probes
The city administrator manages day-to-day operations of the city and reports directly to the city council.
The city administrator leads strategic planning for the city, supervises all department heads and the work of all city departments, makes policy recommendations to the city council, implements actions of the city council, and develops the city’s annual budget of more than $110 million.
Sheboygan city administrator finalists both have experience working for other Wisconsin cities.
Prior to his time in Baraboo, Bradley served as Adams County’s coordinator for three years and prior to that he was the auditor/chief operating officer of Stutsman County, North Dakota.
In addition to other municipal positions, Bradley has also served in the U.S. Air Force. He has two master’s degrees, one in public administration and the other in accounting and financial management.
Thyes has served as acting city administrator and assistant city administrator for Mequon. He has worked for the Wisconsin villages of Butler and Brown Deer in administrative positions. He has a master’s of business administration from Concordia University Wisconsin.
Maya Hilty contributed to this report.
Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Sheboygan names city administrator finalists to replace Todd Wolf
