MONROE - Sam Liebert has found a new place to call home in his professional life: a makeshift office in the former Green County EMS building.
Liebert was hired as the Monroe assistant city administrator, and he began the job a week ago with high hopes to put his past experience to work here.
Originally from Janesville, Liebert spent six years on the city council there. As president for the last year, he oversaw the government body's operations, broke tie votes and ran meetings. Liebert also worked as a supervisor with the building inspection division for the city of Madison, handling communications from those seeking inspections or looking to complain about overgrown lawns or unshoveled sidewalks.
"I wanted to take the skills and experience I had learned from those places and apply it at a higher level of government," Liebert said.
His area of study lends itself to the job. Liebert holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in public administration and policy, with an emphasis on municipal government and rural policy. Liebert noted his preference for a city with a rural feel due to his knowledge of problems those types of communities face, from opioid addiction to internet infrastructure.
"I felt that Monroe was that perfect fit where urban and rural kind of mesh," Liebert said before recalling his many visits to the city for Cheese Days. "I spent a lot of time here as a kid. I think it's a great community."
He added that he and his new wife, Elizabeth, were looking for a new house in the city, though the limited housing market has made that difficult, compounded by the fact that she works as a teacher in Beloit.
Because of the displacement of city employees, Liebert has the keys to his new office in Monroe City Hall but has not been able to move in. City Administrator Phil Rath moved his office to the now city-owned building formerly used by EMTs to work next to Liebert as he becomes accustomed to his new job.
There, interrupted intermittently by summer programs hosted by the city Parks and Recreation Department, the two will operate daily until City Hall reopens. Liebert noted the setup is not ideal but has been easy to maneuver. The biggest challenge has been trying to memorize where each department is located and noted that the situation just proves government works best when it operates "under one roof."
Former assistant administrator Martin Shanks, who left Monroe in April after accepting a position in Poynette, also served as the city's director of community development. Liebert said he would happily pursue similar endeavors with the same title, but for the beginning of his duties, he will oversee human resources tasks, such as hiring, job postings, and even training.
"We have a lot of tools I don't think we utilize as much," Liebert said. "So that's something I'm working on right now as well, different trainings and making sure that staff are up-to-date on continual training and making sure we offer those to people."
Liebert said he worked closely with Janesville officials directly involved in community development, noting his comprehension of tax increment districts and the work done within the city to attract businesses. For instance, he said the newly constructed Dollar General Distribution Center brought 500 new jobs to Janesville.
"We should be working with everyone in Green County," Liebert said. "It's really a regional effort. ... I think the ball is starting to move more and if I can help push it or give some advice from my experiences in Madison or Janesville, I'm hoping I can bring that to the table."
Liebert was hired as the Monroe assistant city administrator, and he began the job a week ago with high hopes to put his past experience to work here.
Originally from Janesville, Liebert spent six years on the city council there. As president for the last year, he oversaw the government body's operations, broke tie votes and ran meetings. Liebert also worked as a supervisor with the building inspection division for the city of Madison, handling communications from those seeking inspections or looking to complain about overgrown lawns or unshoveled sidewalks.
"I wanted to take the skills and experience I had learned from those places and apply it at a higher level of government," Liebert said.
His area of study lends itself to the job. Liebert holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in public administration and policy, with an emphasis on municipal government and rural policy. Liebert noted his preference for a city with a rural feel due to his knowledge of problems those types of communities face, from opioid addiction to internet infrastructure.
"I felt that Monroe was that perfect fit where urban and rural kind of mesh," Liebert said before recalling his many visits to the city for Cheese Days. "I spent a lot of time here as a kid. I think it's a great community."
He added that he and his new wife, Elizabeth, were looking for a new house in the city, though the limited housing market has made that difficult, compounded by the fact that she works as a teacher in Beloit.
Because of the displacement of city employees, Liebert has the keys to his new office in Monroe City Hall but has not been able to move in. City Administrator Phil Rath moved his office to the now city-owned building formerly used by EMTs to work next to Liebert as he becomes accustomed to his new job.
There, interrupted intermittently by summer programs hosted by the city Parks and Recreation Department, the two will operate daily until City Hall reopens. Liebert noted the setup is not ideal but has been easy to maneuver. The biggest challenge has been trying to memorize where each department is located and noted that the situation just proves government works best when it operates "under one roof."
Former assistant administrator Martin Shanks, who left Monroe in April after accepting a position in Poynette, also served as the city's director of community development. Liebert said he would happily pursue similar endeavors with the same title, but for the beginning of his duties, he will oversee human resources tasks, such as hiring, job postings, and even training.
"We have a lot of tools I don't think we utilize as much," Liebert said. "So that's something I'm working on right now as well, different trainings and making sure that staff are up-to-date on continual training and making sure we offer those to people."
Liebert said he worked closely with Janesville officials directly involved in community development, noting his comprehension of tax increment districts and the work done within the city to attract businesses. For instance, he said the newly constructed Dollar General Distribution Center brought 500 new jobs to Janesville.
"We should be working with everyone in Green County," Liebert said. "It's really a regional effort. ... I think the ball is starting to move more and if I can help push it or give some advice from my experiences in Madison or Janesville, I'm hoping I can bring that to the table."