New Sheboygan city administrator talks priorities and reviving ‘team feeling’ with department heads

SHEBOYGAN — On Oct. 23, Casey Bradley become the new Sheboygan city administrator.

An internal investigation into actions by the former administrator, Todd Wolf, resulted in the position being empty since Jan. 9.

Bradley said he is excited to be in the role and didn’t know what to expect coming in since the position was vacant for so long. However, everyone has been supportive, he said, and the transition has been “tremendous.”

“The support has probably been the biggest thing I didn't expect,” he said. “I think folks are just happy to have the position filled and kind of having that team approach really has resonated well with everyone.”

Before his official start date, Bradley worked with Mayor Ryan Sorenson and Finance Director Kaitlyn Krueger to get up to speed on the 2024 budget. The budget hearing was his first day.

Bradley described himself as “curious, laid back and open-minded.” He said he likes learning and trying new things and isn’t afraid of change.

Find out more about the new city administrator below.

What experience does Bradley have?

Born in Baraboo, Bradley grew up in New Lisbon. After high school, he attended Winona State University for a year before joining the military.

He spent six years in the Air Force in Great Falls, Montana. While on active duty, he earned two bachelor’s degrees in finance and human resources from Park University.

He also graduated from Keller Graduate School in Chicago in 2013 with a double master’s degree in accounting and financial management. He then returned for a third master’s degree in public administration from Penn State.

He also attended Harvard Kennedy School’s senior executives and state and local government program in 2013.

Upon his return to Wisconsin, he worked as the accounting manager for the City of Monroe.

He has also worked as the finance director in Houston County, Minnesota; held administrative roles in North Dakota for six years; was the Adams County administrator; and worked as Baraboo’s city administrator for three years.

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Why did he choose Sheboygan?

Bradley said he and his fiance vacation in the area and enjoy being in Sheboygan. He also has a cousin who works in government in Manitowoc.

Additionally, Bradley said he has attended conferences in Sheboygan.

“We're pretty familiar with the area, very intrigued by it, and think it's a great place to live,” he said. “(There are) great opportunities here.”

One thing that’s jumped out at him is the community, he said. Everyone has been friendly and there are opportunities available economically, personally and professionally.

“It's a community that we can really see ourselves in long term,” he said.

Bradley’s approach to being city administrator

Bradley describes the city administrator role as a job with a lot of variety.

“Probably the easiest way to describe it to somebody that doesn't really understand city government: My job is to coordinate all the department heads together to work with them as a resource,” he said. “My job is to implement the policies that council sets. So, my job is to get council the information they need to make decisions, and set policy, and then ultimately implement that.”

He said he gets to have a direct impact on the future of the community by doing things like bringing in new jobs and working with housing developers.

“You're working through a number of different issues to help solve issues that help people every day,” he said. “So I really enjoy that.”

Bradley has a democratic leadership style that focuses on teamwork and teambuilding. He said his approach is to talk in groups with the focus on communicating everyone’s plans, saying the department heads were hired for their expertise.

“I really believe it's not my role to micromanage or be super involved in their departments other than the high-level planning if they need assistance,” he said. “My main role is to provide assistance and be a support system for our departments and our elected officials.”

He said being in the military has “absolutely” affected his abilities in the job. He said where he worked, team dynamics were important and he worked with multiple agencies.

“It shapes how you approach issues, and it ultimately, I think, really impacts how we think,” he said. “Our strategic thinking is different — or at least mine is — as a result of what I did. So, yes, I think that does have a good impact.”

Approaching the transition after the job’s vacancy

Bradley said right now, he is focused on understanding what the department heads need from him and expect from his position.

He plans on meeting with council members over the next couple weeks to see what they need from him as well.

He said his job is to better support them, so while he has a job description, he wants to know what they personally need so he can help.

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Goals for the position

One of Bradley’s top priorities in his role — beyond making a work plan as part of his transition — is to look at housing. He said multiple businesses have communicated a need for more housing for their staff and he is looking at ways to address that issue.

He is also looking at redevelopment in the city and adding more density to downtown.

He said he has met with almost every department head and talked with them to try to get “more of that team feeling back.”

“I think we have some great department heads, but with the position being vacant for the last year or so I think we need to kind of refocus on that,” he said. “It's been off to a great start.”

He also has a goal of building his relationship with the community and getting involved in groups to be more visible.

More long-term goals will be formed through strategic planning and budgeting, he said.

Some “pretty exciting” commercial projects are coming that will be great for the city and region, he said, adding there are some “great” housing developers hoping to build for all price ranges.

Have a story tip or public interest concern? Contact Sam Bailey at sgbailey@gannett.com or 573-256-9937. To stay up to date on her stories and other news, follow her on X (Twitter) @SamarahBailey.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan city administrator Casey Bradley on priorities, team feeling