Administrator contract remains in negotiations

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

City of Burlington Mayor Bob Miller confirmed Tuesday that a job offer has been made to a potential new city administrator.

However, Miller did not release the name. Contract negotiations are ongoing, he said.

Last week’s selection process narrowed the candidate list from seven semifinalists to two finalists – Craig Workman, the current City of Burlington Director of Public Works, and Carina Walters, the current assistant city administrator for Lake Forrest, Ill.

“The contract is not fully negotiated, completed and signed,” Miller said. “Am I being cautious? Yes.”

Miller said personnel matters – including tests – that are required of all potential city employees are being addressed, and he hoped to have an answer regarding that Monday.

“I had a tough choice to make. I should say, the City Council had a tough choice to make,” Miller said.

“We have a candidate. We feel good about the candidate,” Miller added. “Period.”

Both Workman and Walters stressed their commitment to Burlington at the meet-and-greet portion of the selection process.

“This step for me is a very large step. I need to make sure that the community is going to like me, and I can also fit in with the community,” Walters said. “There are a number of initiatives that really interest me. I can’t wait to dig in.”

Workman said, “I’m passionate about people, I’m passionate about communication, I’m passionate about government transparency and I hope you guys fill out your card with me.”

Miller was confident in the selection process, which included interviews with the City Council, an assessment center that took the candidates through various tasks that would be required of them, and a meet and greet with the public.

“I think it went very well,” Miller said. “This is the fourth time we’ve done this type of process … and it’s been very beneficial to the city in getting qualified candidates.”

Miller said he hoped the new city administrator would be at the March 17 meeting to be introduced to the council and to sign contracts.

“The public’s invited,” Miller said.

The city has continued to move forward, Miller stressed.

“I’ve not held anything back,” he said. “We’ve not stopped worked on any particular project.

“I think it’s going to be very nice to have someone there who can jump on board,” he added.

If the new administrator starts at the end of March, it will have been roughly three months since former City Administrator Kevin Lahner left to take the same position in Waukesha.