MONROE — Monroe officials on March 6 agreed to hire an interim city manager, Evan Teich, to replace departing administrator David Lothspeich.

One of his strengths, according to Lothspeich, is that he has experience in several states, including in this area. The first day for Teich, whose previous job was in Vermont, is April 1.

“He’s familiar with this area of the country,” said Lothspeich, adding that Teich has several friends and acquaintances in the immediate area. “He has experience in both Illinois and Wisconsin…all of his references came back very positive.”

Alder Brooke Bauman praised the move, saying that during a previous period in which the city was without a full-time administrator, other city employees had to pick up the slack. And that it was a lot to ask of them to do that again.

“There is no way the city could have functioned without the department heads,” said Bauman. “I think we really owe this (hiring a interim administrator) to them.”

Lothspeich, who came to Monroe from the northern Chicago suburbs — and was commuting several days each week from more than an hour away — submitted his resignation on Jan. 30. It is effective on March 17. Lothspeich is taking a similar administrator job with the Town of Williams Bay near Lake Geneva, where Lothspeich also has a home.

The new administrator has been working in the public sector since 1980, including a stint in a city administrator job, for Sussex, Wis. Now retired from full-time work, Teich was also a city administrator for Itasca, a Chicago suburb. And he served as an interim city administrator for the town of Oxford, Michigan.

Teich commented to the Times on his hiring via email: “We have always worked on establishing better communications with the public (website, articles, public meetings, etc), thoughtful policies, streamlined processes, improved IT/IT security to better serve not only our customers but also for performance improvements and on all matters of public safety including that of the Public Works department, Fire and Police,” he wrote.

Teich earned his master’s degree in public administration at the University of Illinois-Chicago and his undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University.

The new administrator will make the equivalent of $70,000 annually, although the initial contract is for 12 weeks. Teich who plans to live in Monroe with his wife, also will receive a $1,500 per month housing stipend and reimbursement for some travel expenses.

Alder Mary Jane Grenzow also said she was pleased with the selection. 

“I think there’s a great deal of value there,” she said.

Officials said they will continue the search for a permanent replacement for Lothspeich, who said he will help the city prepare for a new administrator as much as possible.

“Even though I won’t be here for the transition, I will assist…any way I can,” he said.

The city used GovTempsUSA, a subsidiary of GovHR USA — a national public-sector staffing firm specializing in the temporary positions in local government — to find and hire the new administrator.

Lothspeich said the city’s search for an interim administrator yielded two “highly qualified” candidates and that the city could have benefited by working with either one of them. Teich will spend most of his time in Monroe city offices, as opposed to any kind of virtual work, he added.