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Community panel begins city manager interviews

The city council-appointed community panel met to interview two of the five candidates for the city manager position Monday morning.

Questions spanned many topics, but centered on economic development and growth in and around Janesville.

Donald Carlsen, the director of the management services-business group for the city of Naperville, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago, said that in the wake of the General Motors plant closure, he feels the city would benefit by expanding Mercy Health System.

He also told the board he heads up Naperville's Marketing Retention Committee, which focuses on attracting and retaining business into the city and said planning is key to economic development.

"Certainly there are opportunities (for economic development)," Carlsen said. "Coming up with a plan is first, then executing on that plan down the road."

Kevin Brunner, current city manager of Whitewater, said expanding on the "intellectual capital" of the workforce would help economic development.

"Worker training is very important," he said. "We have to provide our workforce opportunities for continuous learning."

The community panel will interview the remaining candidates Tuesday morning and the city council hopes to narrow the field to two candidates by Tuesday evening.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Donald Carlsen.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Kevin Brunner.