John Bruning to be new city manager of Rogers City
The search for city manager Rob Fairbank?s replacement was a short one for members of the Rogers City Council, who looked no further than the assistant city manager?s office. Council, in back-to-back votes Monday, officially accepted the resignation of Fairbanks, and followed that by unanimously approving John Bruning as the next city manager.
Fairbanks, a city engineer for 25 years, and the city manager since 1995, announced at a meeting in early February, he would be retiring. Fairbanks? retirement day is May 1, but his last day on the job will be Monday, April 14. Bruning takes over the next morning. City officials have planned a ?Wish-Rob-Well-in-Retirement? open house March 28 from 1-4 p.m.
BRUNING HAS been the city manager in training for two years, and only the details of a contract need to be worked out. Mayor Beach Hall, who gave Bruning a glowing endorsement at Monday?s meeting, said he will work out the details of a contract and make a recommendation for approval at the April 21 meeting.
?I?m absolutely convinced that John will be the perfect gentleman to move this community forward,? Hall said.
?For the past two years we?ve had a young man in training to move into Rob?s spot. I?m totally, and utterly confident, he?ll do a fine job,? Hall said. Bruning?s dozen years of working with governmental entities and his master?s degree in business administration made him the best replacement, Hall said.
?Rob and I are different individuals, personality-wise,? Bruning said. ?People will notice that right off the bat.? But the goal remains the same: ?Continuing to work at promoting the community, and bring people to the area, as well as creating employment,? Bruning said. It?s a job Bruning believes he?s ready to take on.
?I?M LOOKING forward to it,? said Bruning, following the meeting. ?I took the position as assistant with the understanding that was council?s foresight at replacing Rob, when it was time for him to retire. Now that time is here. I know it will be a challenge, but I?m still very much excited about it.? Bruning was selected over Ronald Yesney, a community development director in Keewanee, Wisconsin in June of 2001. At the time, Fairbanks said it was a tough choice between Bruning of Rogers City and Yesney, but made the recommendation for council to hire Bruning because of his qualifications, experience, and demeanor. At the time, Bruning was serving as an environmental agent with District Health Department No. 4.
THERE ARE times the city manager isn?t the most popular position to have at city hall, and Bruning believes he?s ready for that as well. ?I learned a long time ago, in working with the public, you can?t make everybody happy all the time, so I realize there are certain challenges involved with that,? said Bruning. But Bruning knows the ultimate decisions are made by council, from recommendations made by the city manager and his staff.
?As a manager that?s typically our role, although very often you hear the manager?s name come up when decisions are made. There is a chance to be unpopular at times, and there are things that go unrecognized. There?s a lot of background work that takes place that people just don?t realize,? said Bruning. For anyone thinking of turning in an application to take over Bruning?s post, it appears as if the assistant manager?s job will cease to exist. ?I?ll have my hands full. There will probably be a lot of long hours,? said Bruning.
COUNCIL MEMBERS DIDN?T officially accept Fairbanks? resignation at the February 3 meeting, so they needed to act on that. ?Is it resignation or
The roll call vote from clerk/treasurer Theresa Heinzel offered more warm laughs and smiles for their departing leader than usual. Heinzel called upon Ralph Baker to register his vote. ?Yes, with regret,? Baker said, ?because I think he has done a marvelous job.?
?Please put that in the motion ? with regret,? added Sinclair. ?Greene,? Heinzel said, continuing the roll call. ?I don?t know,? Debbie Greene said, which brought laughs to those in attendance. When the laughter subsided, she too, voted ?yes.?
?I just want to say it?s been a pleasure to work with Rob on a city level,? said Hall. ?A great deal has occurred under his watch. I?m not sure if anybody in the community recognizes how much of his time he has spent trying to move this community forward economically, both from a business development and residential developmental standpoint. A whole lot of things are about ready to fall in place,? added Hall. ?Rob, as we accept your retirement with regret, thank you.?
