— The
Commission on Monday decided to bring forward three additional candidates to interview for the general manager position, according to Commission Chair Shawn Mueske.
However, upon being contacted by management consultant Liza Donabauer of David Drown Associates, one of the three — Windom City Administrator Steve Nasby — decided to drop out of the process, according to Willmar Municipal Utilities Executive Secretary Beth Mattheisen.
Therefore, Janell Johnson, Willmar Municipal Utilities director of administration also currently serving as interim general manager, and Rick Wicklund, utility manager for Sun Prairie Utilities of Wisconsin, will be interviewed. The date is tentatively set for Monday, Oct. 21, according to Mueske.
The commission on Sept. 13 conducted interviews of the top four candidates at that time and made an offer to Joel Lemke of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. However, Lemke’s counteroffer to work remotely for a period of 24 months
was not appealing to the commission and it retracted its offer.
The interviews for Johnson and Wicklund will proceed similarly to those conducted Sept. 13, with a meet-and-greet and tours in the morning and 45-minute interviews beginning around 10:15 a.m.
Following those interviews, the commission will deliberate and decide if Johnson and/or Wicklund will move on to a second interview, which will also take place Oct. 21 in the afternoon, according to Mueske.
The Commission has already decided to invite Jeron Smith, Willmar Municipal Utilities electric engineer, and Tim Kacena, strategy and transformation team lead with the Nebraska Public Power District, for second interviews. Another candidate, Chris Ward, was also invited for a second interview, but declined, according to Mueske.
The second interviews will be a half-hour long and will include a presentation by each candidate on something pertinent to the vision of Willmar Municipal Utilities, according to Mueske.
Johnson has served as Willmar Municipal Utilities director of administration for three years. Prior to that, she was interim finance director/customer service supervisor/HR manager for one year, human resources/compliance manager for two years, compliance/safety officer for three years and compliance officer for two years.
Before that, Johnson served as the city administrator/clerk/treasurer for Grove City for 10 years. She holds an associate degree in accounting from what was then the Willmar Area Vocational Technical Institute, later becoming part of Ridgewater College.
Wicklund was originally supposed to be included in the Sept. 13 round of interviews, but was unable to gather his background information by the deadline provided and declined to be interviewed. The Municipal Utilities Commission decided to include him as one of the semifinalists to be reconsidered.
Wicklund currently serves as the utility manager for Sun Prairie Utilities in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where he has been in the position for more than 10 years. Prior to that, he served as an implementation manager for AT&T Wireless for three years, as the senior marketing specialist for Cooper Power Systems in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for three years, and as a project engineer for 360 Communications for one year. Wicklund holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Marquette University.
Prior to being Willmar Municipal Utilities electric engineer, Smith served as the Utilities’ assistant electrical engineer for four years, worked in information technology with Rambow Inc. for one year and was a controls engineer with Relco LLC for one year. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering.
Following the interviews Sept. 13, commissioners praised Smith’s skills and knowledge as an electrical engineer, but were concerned with his lack of administrative experience. However, they also noted that he would be leading a utility at some point in the future if that’s what he set his mind on.
Kacena currently serves as the strategy and transformation team lead with the Nebraska Public Power District, where he has been in the position for more than three years. He also served as the district’s senior physical security specialist and investigator for more than four years.
Commissioners liked his wide range of experience, which also included working in security and holding various specialized law enforcement positions for 10 years with the city of Sioux Falls Police Department in South Dakota. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bellevue University and a master’s degree in leadership and workplace conflict resolution from Maharishi International University.
Following the Sept. 13 interviews, both Smith and Kacena were informed that an offer was being made to Lemke, but that they were still being considered if Lemke did not accept the offer.
During a Sept. 30 meeting of the Municipal Utilities Commission, it was disclosed that Smith had submitted an email to the commission further explaining the administrative skills he possesses. It was also implied that Kacena had submitted an email to the commission, but the information it contained was not disclosed.