TWO RIVERS (NBC 26) — Two Rivers continues their search for a new city manager.
- Two Rivers has asked the city what they would like to see in a new city manager
- Carol Gruetzmacher says that she hopes the new manager listens to the locals and prioritizes nature
- The City says they hope for the new manager to start around the beginning of July
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
For the first time in three decades Two Rivers is looking for a new city manager. City Manager Greg Buckley will be retiring this summer, but before the new hire is made, the search party is asking our community what they should look for in candidates.
"He has to be familiar with the county, executive management, administrative,” City Councilman Mark Bittner said of the role.
Bittner is a second-term councilman involved in the search.
"We're looking for the ideal candidate that's got the qualifications to run a community of our size,” Bittner said.
So the city has asked its 11,000 plus residents to fill out this survey.
Questions include what qualities and experiences the city council should look for in a new manager. Also, what the community thinks their challenges will be.
"He's a representative of the community and we have a great community, a long history,” said Bittner. “We want the involvement of our people, our citizens locally to help in this process."
One of those citizens is Carol Gruetzmacher.
"I've lived on the beach for 48 years,” Gruetzmacher told me. “The first thing in the morning, I check to see what Lake Michigan is doing."
Carol and I talked about a few of the issues being discussed as the city searches for new leadership.
"Well, somebody who can relate to the normal people who live here,” she said. “Not just to the ones that own all of the Airbnb's and those kinds of things. Just stay connected with the local people."
She mentions the beauty of Two Rivers and the strength of their landmarks like Neshotah Beach. She says she hopes the new leader will use it to their advantage.
"It's very important that they don't just come in and try to make it look like where they came from,” Gruetzmacher said. “Take what they have and work with that."
Bittner says that the city is hoping for the new manager to start by around the beginning of July.
