Oconto County's new administrator starts April 22. Here are 5 things to know about him.

OCONTO - Richard Heath says he is glad he will become Oconto County's new administrator starting April 22.

"There were other counties where I was asked to apply," Heath said. "(But) this is the place where I wanted to continue my career. I think there are a lot of resources here."

Heath was named to the position during the Feb. 22 meeting of the County Board. Currently administrator for the Town of Algoma in Winnebago County, he will take over from Erik Pritzl, who resigned effective Feb. 7 after just over two years in the position to begin a second stint as Brown County Human Services director.

Here are five things to know about the new county administrator, based on the resume he submitted to the county and an interview with the Reporter immediately following his confirmation by the board.

Heath will apply small-town experience to the county

Heath comes to Oconto County, with a population of about 39,000, from a town of about 7,000 between Oshkosh and Omro. It might seem a bit of a jump to become administrator of a community more than five times the size of his previous experience in that position, but Heath said he expects a lot of similarities.

He noted the Town of Algoma, where he started in November of 2019, successfully has worked to grow under his watch there. He helped the town put together annual budgets of about $3 million, was responsible for overseeing large construction projects with budgets that ranged from $300,000 to $6.3 million and administered a three-year, rolling capital improvement plan of $11 million.

As administrator in Algoma, Heath also supervised other professional town staff members and served as the contact person for its fire department.

"As a growing community, you deal with a lot of infrastructure," he said. "Having that background in infrastructure, building and maintenance is a good basis for a county administrator. The biggest pieces of the county are infrastructure, health and human services, and public safety. Having that background will help me communicate with these people.

"I have a broad-based knowledge of government, from taxes to services to parks to the day-to-day operations of the town. It's just a smaller version of a county. … Working in Algoma kind of foreshadowed how county government works."

And he has experience with large organizations

Heath also has served in positions high up the organizational chart with a variety of large entities, giving him experience in dealing with governments, fundraising, grant writing, planning and land use, and other aspects that relate to municipal governments.

Before coming to Algoma, Heath was with Northern Arizona University, first as executive director of its Prescott Valley campus then as its associate director of strategic partnerships. Prior to that, he was executive director of the Greater Prescott Regional Economic Partnership in Arizona.

Heath also spent more than 10 years with the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission, which provides planning services and coordination for eight Northeast Wisconsin counties from Sheboygan to Florence, including Oconto. He started there as assistant director/principal planner and was executive director and economic development planner for his last five-plus years. Before that, Heath was executive director of the Clark County Economic Development Corp.

"I certainly have worked with different entities," he said. "Every one had a little piece to it that I think will make me successful in this position."

Heath hopes to keep things going, build economy

Heath said he isn't planning massive changes once he's on board in Oconto County.

He noted the county is on solid financial footing, with its half-cent sales tax used to contribute to capital improvement projects, and board members and officials to who he's talked indicated they're generally satisfied with the direction the county currently is heading.

"I think they just want to continue that stability," Heath said. "I have no preconceived ideas, no agenda."

One thing he said he hopes to facilitate is economic and business growth.

"The economy is so important to the well-being of a county," Heath said. "Bringing in employers, keeping employees, adding new businesses, that's important."

He wants to hear from residents

Heath said he's always had an open-door policy and will continue to do so in Oconto County. He believes it's vital for someone in his position to hear how residents feel about projects and issues, especially in a widespread county like Oconto.

"I think people sometimes underestimate how you can communicate with the public," he said. "You have to be able to listen, to digest, to problem-solve quickly. It's that public relations. I think you have to have a good handle on it. … People want to be heard, even if the solution isn't what they wanted.

"I think I'm very personable, am a good listener. I truly want to hear from those around the county how they like it here."

He's no stranger to Oconto County

Heath was born and raised in Plum City in western Wisconsin but attended the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he not only earned his bachelor's degree (he also holds a master's in development from Ohio University and a certificate in emergency management from Northern Arizona) but also met his future wife, Cindy, an Oconto County native who graduated from Suring High School.

He said Cindy still has family in the county, and he and she have visited often. They plan to move to the county.

"I fish on Montana Lake, Porcupine Lake, Kelly Lake," Heath said. "We come up here, this is where I recreate. It's nice for my wife to be able to come back."

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

FOR MORE OCONTO COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website!

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Here are 5 things to know about Oconto County's new administrator