OSHKOSH ― For the first time in more than 16 years, Oshkosh is welcoming a new city manager.
So, what should the city know about the person hired to replace the retiring Mark Rohloff?
Currently the City Administrator/City Clerk for the city of West Allis, Rebecca Grill has over 25 years in local government, having previously working for the city of Milwaukee for 17 years.
Grill is also a Credentialed Manager and University of Wisconsin-Madison Certified Public Manager with a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Concordia University.
The Northwestern recently had a brief Q&A session with the incoming City Manager before her first day in office Feb. 24.
Here’s what she had to say:
Why did you want the Oshkosh City Manager position?
I didn’t go searching for this to be honest. Someone contacted me and said I should take a look at this perfect because it would be perfect for me.
So I investigated this and researched what they were looking for and I just found it was a really good fit for me.
There are a lot of fantastic opportunities that align with my experience in West Allis so I decided to move through the application process.
You were named a finalist for a month before you were eventually hired. Were you ever concerned Oshkosh would go in a different direction?
I wasn’t really nervous because I know these things take time and they had to be sure the person they were hiring was a good fit. It took over seven months before I was hired for the job in West Allis.
And I didn’t have the time to worry about it considering I had this little election thing going on.
More Oshkosh news: Retiring Oshkosh City Manager Mark Rohloff accepts job with Neenah’s McMahon Associates
What’s your first priority in the role?
I have to learn more about the community and our organization. I have to know what we have out there as our strengths and resources.
I also have to get to know our staff and get to know the vibrant community organizations and the exciting opportunities to collaborate with them. I don’t want to sound cliché but it’s about getting to know the lay of the land.
Is it intimidating following someone as experienced as Mark Rohloff, who spent 16 years in the role?
In my current job I followed a guy with over 30 years so I am familiar with trying to fill huge shoes. He was well loved just like Mark.
Obviously, I am not the same as Mark so I know I will do things differently but you don’t know until you start doing the job. I’ve been researching all the aspects of Oshkosh and the role, but again, I won’t know until I start doing the job.
I can say I am heavily into technology and using it to make things more efficient. So that will be a part of my focus, maximizing the use of technology and using it to make things more efficient for citizens.
What do you want Oshkosh to know about you beyond your qualifications and experience?
I think my personality comes through in the work I do. I am very diligent and hard working and I dig in. I am really excited to work with the citizens and I want them to feel comfortable sharing their information and ideas.
Of course I am more than willing to do that after February 24 because I want to finish up strong in West Allis.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Get to know Oshkosh’s new City Manager Rebecca Grill.