By Chris Spangler
Following a closed session meeting Monday of the Fort Atkinson Police and Fire Commission, Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Houseman, after the body reconvened in open session, noted that the process for selecting a new fire chief will continue.
The commission met Monday afternoon in closed session for approximately five minutes to consider, according to the agenda, a “review of applicants for the fire/EMS chief position” before reconvening in open session.
Upon reconvening in open session, the commission unanimously voted to meet again on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 1 p.m.
Houseman told Fort Atkinson Online that the meeting would be to “continue the process” of recruiting a new fire chief.
The commission is seeking a successor for former fire chief Daryl Rausch who retired from his position in June.
Division Chief Mike Lawrence has served as interim fire chief since Rausch’s retirement.
According to earlier reporting by Fort Atkinson Online, the city’s public relations executive assistant Sarah Weihert confirmed by email last Monday that city officials would be interviewing at least five candidates for the position last Friday. She noted within an email sent to Fort Atkinson Online Monday morning, and in advance of the commission meeting held Monday afternoon, that city officials were “not ready to release any information at this time,” about the five candidates who had been chosen to undergo an interviewing process.
Houseman noted during a council meeting held in July, that Lawrence, at that time, was the lone internal candidate about whom she was aware who was seeking the position.
Also in July, the council hired the Illinois-based firm GovHR USA to assist the city in its search for a new fire chief at a cost of $26,000.
In July, city officials stated that they anticipated the recruitment process would take between three and four months.
An earlier story about the ongoing process to hire a new fire chief is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-city-officials-not-ready-to-release-any-information-regarding-five-applicants-identified-recently-for-fire-chief-position/.
New officer chosen
In other business Monday, the Police and Fire Commission unanimously authorized Police Chief Adrian Bump to hire Noah Schneider to fill a vacant police officer position.
The offer contains contingencies including that Schneider successfully complete a background check, psychological evaluation, drug test and pre-employment physical, as well as a physical readiness test required for admittance to the Law Enforcement Academy.
Bump told commissioners that candidates were interviewed today for the vacancy. Five applicants had been invited for interviews, but only two responded.
“Going into today’s interviews, I was struggling in my mind a little bit about how this was going to turn out, and then walking out of the interviews, all my stress is gone and life is good,” Bump told the commission.
“We interviewed two candidates and we really, really liked one of the candidates and, not settling at all, found that top candidate,” he added, referring to Schneider.
The interviews were undertaken by peer and command staff panels, both of which recommended Schneider for the job.
Bump said that Schneider is a Fort Atkinson High School graduate who earned his associate degree in criminal justice at Madison Area Technical College. He will have to attend the Law Enforcement Academy in January along with another new hire, Roger Muñoz.
“Noah … is pretty excited about the opportunity,” Bump said.
“It was a clear candidate choice out of the two today, and this young man is local, has been working locally, and I think he’d be a good addition to the force,” commission President Philip Jones, who had sat in on the interviews, said.
Along with Jones, members serving on the commission include Dick Schultz, Jeanne Delacruz-Raub, Russell Turk and Megan Hartwick.
Fort Atkinson Municipal Building, file photo/Kim McDarison.
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