Port trims list of administrator hopefuls to four

The Port Washington Common Council last week culled the list of candidates for city administrator to four — including Port native Joel Gregozeski — with the finalists set to meet with staff members and representatives of the community next week.

The four finalists are:

• Timothy Blakeslee, 30, is assistant village manager for the Village of Whitefish Bay, population 14,000, a position he has held since August 2017. He was assistant to the city administrator in Parkville, Mo., from September 2013 to August 2017.

Blakeslee earned bachelor of science degrees in political science and criminology from Ohio State University in 2011 and a master of public administration degree from Ohio State in 2013.

Blakeslee said he counts his experience with small and mid-sized communities as something he would bring to the Port job, as well as a passion for local government.

“Having good government is important to me, so I try to bring that wherever I am,” he said.

A native of Ohio, he said he and his wife Emily, who works in human resources for the Wisconsin Center District in Milwaukee, visit Port on a regular basis and are familiar with the city.

“What would be better than to work in a place you like to visit?” he asked, adding he looks forward to coming to the city next week “to find out if it’s the right fit. That’s the most important thing, really.”

• Anthony Brown is administrator of the Town of Buchanan, a community of about 6,800 in Outagamie County, since October 2017. He had been assistant to the city administrator in Wauwatosa from August 2011 to September 2017.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science with an emphasis in law studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008 and a master of public administration degree in municipal management from UWM in 2011.

Brown could not be reached for comment.

• Joel Gregozeski is administrator of the Town of Greenville, a community of about 12,000 near Appleton, since July 2017. He was administrator of the Town of Buchanan from August 2013 to July 2017, director of public works for the Village of Bellevue from September 2012 to August 2013, and parks and leisure services director there from March 2008 to September 2012.

He earned a bachelor of science degree in recreation management from UW-La Crosse in 2000 and a master of business administration degree from Concordia University in Mequon in 2014.

Gregozeski, the son of John and Christine Gregozeski, is a 1995 graduate of Port Washington High School who said he appreciates his hometown and wants to return.

“I’ve been moving around to gain the experience necessary to come back home,” he said. “This is not a career step for me; it’s a landing step.”

Gregozeski said that while in college he worked in park maintenance for the City of Port and the late Jay Jansen — a longtime park and recreation director — served as his mentor, nudging him into that field. He did a lot of work in that area but later his interests grew and he decided to branch out into general government.

His wife Kelly is a stay-at-home mother.

• Kayla Thorpe, 32, is village administrator and clerk for Butler, a Waukesha County community with a population of 1,800, since January 2014. She was the assistant village manager for Whitefish Bay from February 2013 to January 2014 and deputy clerk there from  April 2012 to August 2013 and management assistant for the Village of Bayside from August 2010 to April 2012.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science and legal studies from UW-Whitewater in 2009 and a master of business administration degree from Cardinal Stritch University in 2014.

Thorpe said she has known Port Administrator Mark Grams for years and sees the Port position as “an opportunity that really excites me and a chance to build on the things he (Grams) has done and to bring a new perspective to the city.”

She has worked in the public sector throughout her career, Thorpe said, adding her passion lies in “having an effect on people’s daily lives and helping city council and boards make decisions for the betterment of the community.”

Thorpe’s husband Colin is in sales for a firm that sells medical devices.

The candidates are expected to be in Port Washington next week for the next phase of the interview process.

On Tuesday, March 3, City Administrator Mark Grams will take each candidate on an hour-long tour of the city, City Clerk Susan Westerbeke said.

They will then participate in a meet-and-greet session from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. in the community room at the Niederkorn Library. Those attending will include department heads, Mayor Marty Becker, the aldermen and community representatives invited by the officials, Westerbeke said. 

Those attending will be at four tables and the finalists will move from table to table, introducing themselves to each group and taking questions from those attending before moving on.

Westerbeke said there will be some seats for the public to observe the session.

On Wednesday, March 4, the candidates will have time to visit with department heads and city staff members. 

The Common Council is expected to hold a closed session on March 4 to review the interviews and potentially select a replacement for Grams, Westerbeke said.

Grams, who is just the city’s second administrator, is retiring on April 10.

The city has been working with the Whitefish Bay-based firm Public Administration Associates to select the new administrator. Thirty people initially applied for the job.