Leonard Ludi. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
KRONENWETTER, WI (WSAU) — At long last, the search for an Administrator is over in Kronenwetter.
Some 550 days after former Administrator Richard Downey was placed on leave, the Village Board met to interview current Public Works Director Leonard Ludi for the position. After a two-hour and 15-minute closed session, the board offered him the position beginning immediately.
“We went through a lot of details in the interview itself,” said Ludi. “I feel pretty satisfied with the questions that I brought up, and the questions that were brought up of me. I think we are off to a good start, we will just look at the particulars [of the agreement] tomorrow.”
Ludi came to Kronenwetter from Laguna, New Mexico last September. Village President Chris Voll said that he has quickly become a respected member of the public works staff and he feels that will translate to the new position. “He’s been here for three, four months now. He understands some of the workings already. I know he will have a learning curve because he’s not from Wisconsin, but what we’ve seen out of him with the Public Works Department has been stellar.”
Two Public Works staffers wrote letters of support for Ludi, which were read into the record at the start of Monday’s meeting. Both employees noted that while they don’t want to lose Ludi as a supervisor, they feel that his leadership style will serve the Village well in a larger capacity.
Voll acknowledged that the promotion creates the need for a new Public Works Director but he feels that will be filled quickly with Ludi’s connections in the industry. “Hopefully he’s got some ideas about where we can go to fill that. I also feel it’s a little easier to find a PW candidate than it is to find an Administrator.
Downey was placed on leave on July 8th, 2022. Since that date, four individuals have held the interim tag; Duane Gau, Police Chief Terry McHugh, former Plover Administrator Dan Mahoney, and Kim Manley. Twice the job was offered to an outside candidate only to have that offer pulled back. One such incident was due to an unspecified issue in the candidate’s background check.
RELATED: Kronenwetter Rescinds Offer to Administrator Candidate; Search Resets
Most recently the Village canceled an agreement with Peter Kampfer, a Central Wisconsin native currently working in public administration in Texas. He was offered the position last fall but delayed his start date at least twice due to legal issues surrounding his current job. The two sides decided to move on earlier this month.
Ludi says he’s aware of that history but isn’t dwelling on it. Instead, he’s excited for a new start in his new community. “It’s good news anytime you get to serve the community or be a part of it, be part of a positive thing. I wouldn’t call it a saga, but it’s going to be a new start. I think it’s going to be a good start.”
On Tuesday, the Village Administrative Policy Committee will consider a mentorship agreement with Mahoney to help bring Ludi up to speed on regulations in Wisconsin. That agreement would run until June, paying $75 per hour for up to eight hours per week plus mileage for in-person meetings.
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