Former Whitefish Bay Village Manager in Line to be Waukesha City Administrator

Former Whitefish Bay Village Manager Ed Henschel is "the only candidate at this time,” to be Waukesha's new city administrator, Mayor Jeff Scrima said Tuesday.

Henschel, who was village manager of Elm Grove from 1977 to 1993, and Whitefish Bay from 1993 to 2000, was interviewed early last week by city officials because he would be out of town for a few weeks.

“As a Waukesha resident, I have an exceptional interest in the success of the city as a vibrant community and to see it develop as a best practice community in Wisconsin, with a high level of service at an affordable cost to taxpayers,” Henschel said in his cover letter to Voorhees and Associates, the Illinois-based firm tasked with searching for a new administrator. “Since the city just completed an unsuccessful recruitment for city administrator, I have decided to offer my services and expertise to the city.”

Henschel is the executive director of the Wisconsin City/County Management Association, a post he has held since 2001. He also is the general manager and senior consultant for RW Management Group and an adjunct professor at UW-Milwaukee.

There was a “good selection pool and options” among the applicants, although Henschel was the only person interviewed, Scrima said.

The mayor said the city's human resources department is "working out the details" with the search firm, but did not specifically say whether a job offer has been extended to Henschel.

Scrima said he hopes to have additional information about the future city administrator the first week of September.

“He appears to be a person of integrity and honesty, which is most important,” Scrima said.

The city administrator is tasked with the day-to-day operations of the city and with developing the city’s annual budget.

While work has already begun on the 2013 budget, it’s possible Waukesha could have its city administrator on board for the public review of the budget and the subsequent hearings.

“Best case scenario we could have somebody in September,” Scrima said.

Community Development Director Steve Crandell has been operating as interim city administrator since Lori Luther’s departure in August 2011. Luther left to become a county administrator in Illinois.

The search for a new city administrator took a stumble in June when and

The Waukesha Common Council earlier this summer approved a contract with Voorhees and Associates to restart the search.