City manager: ’Possible additional candidates for another round of interviews’ for fire chief  under consideration 

By Kim McDarison

The Fort Atkinson Police and Fire Commission met Wednesday to continue its review of candidates for the position of Fort Atkinson fire chief.

The commission met in closed session, not to reconvene in open session, following the closed session meeting.

Along with commission members, GovHR USA Vice President T.E. Sashko, who also is a retired fire chief, according to biographical information found on the company’s website, was in attendance during the meeting.

A link to biographical information about Sashko is here: https://www.govhrusa.com/associates/tim-sashko/.

During a meeting of the Fort Atkinson City Council held Tuesday, Dec. 5, City Manager Rebecca Houseman, during her city manager’s report, told council that the commission recruitment for the fire and EMS chief position “continues to move forward.”

She told council members earlier this month that the city’s Police and Fire Commission was scheduled to meet today “to review current and possible additional candidates for another round of interviews.”

As earlier reported by Fort Atkinson Online, in September, GovHR USA, the recruitment firm with which the city has contracted, provided a total of 22 applicants from 8 different states. Following a recruitment process provided by GovHR USA and undertaken by the city’s Police and Fire commission, an initial review brought the list of candidates down to 13.

In mid-November, city officials noted that five candidates were undergoing an interviewing process. On Nov. 29, following a Police and Fire Commission closed session meeting, Houseman told Fort Atkinson Online that: “There were interviews (earlier in November), but there will likely be more.”

Fort Atkinson Online’s request of the city for a list of semifinalists under consideration for the position, made after learning that five candidates had reached an interviewing stage within the process, has yet to be filled.

An earlier story, indicating that a group of five candidates who had undergone an interviewing process last month for the position of fire chief, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/police-and-fire-commissioners-authorize-city-manager-to-negotiate-with-a-candidate-yet-more-interviews-are-described-as-likely/.

The Fort Atkinson Police and Fire Commission assembles. The body met Wednesday at noon to hold a closed session meeting and discuss a single agenda item: “review of applicants for the fire/EMS chief position.” The full body, not in pictured order, includes: Philip Jones, Jeanne Delacruz-Raub, Dick Schultz, Russell Turk, and Megan Hartwick. Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Houseman also was in attendance. 

GovHR USA Vice President T.E. Sashko joins the Fort Atkinson Police and Fire Commission remotely during a meeting of the body held Wednesday. The body assembled, and convened in open session, after which it voted to reconvene in closed session, with no indication on the printed agenda that the board would convene again in open session. The closed session meeting, which was the only order of business on the agenda, was convened for the purpose of the “review of applicants for the fire/EMS chief position.” A link to the agenda is here: https://cms8.revize.com/revize/fortatkinson/12.13.23%20Police%20and%20Fire%20Commission%20Agenda.pdf. 

Screen shot photos. 

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