Police Chief Appointed Interim Administrator

Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki is the village's interim administrator. He was approved Friday during a special board meeting with a unanimous 5-0 vote.

Trustee Harry Manning made the motion and Trustee Karen Albeck seconded the motion. Zarzecki will take the position effective immediately.

"I've worked for the village for 24 years and my heart is in Mount Pleasant," Zarzecki said after the vote.

Doing both positions at once will take some prioritization, but he said there are some other municipalities in Wisconsin who have police chiefs serve as the interim administrator. Zarzecki said it's important to have a leadership point of contact for staff members.

"This will be a challenge, but I have the staff in the police department to help take on some tasks over there while I tackle what needs to be done on the Village Hall side," he said.

Trustee John Hewitt confirmed that Zarzecki is the administrator on a temporary basis, but the Village Board has not yet discussed when they will resume the search for a permanent, full time administrator.

The village has been without a full-time administrator since May 2011 when trustees voted to oust former Administrator Mike Andreasen.

Since then, Planning Director Ron Meyer has served as the Interim Administrator off and on. after his firm was in charge of the search for an administrator, resigned in September at the same time as former President Carolyn Milkie.

In November, Village President which means elected officials cannot hold two positions. Village Board members at a later meeting re-affirmed Majdoch as the president and reporting that the search for an interim administrator would continue.

Trustees met in closed session Friday morning in closed session for almost 2-1/2 hours to make the decision.

Village staff was invited to join trustees in the auditorium at 11:15 to hear the announcement of Zarzecki's appointment.