By Press Times Staff
SEYMOUR – The City of Seymour has hired Sean Hutchison as its administrator, with the move approved at the common council meeting Monday, April 12.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have someone with Sean’s qualifications come to Seymour,” said Mayor Ryan Kraft. “He has vast experience in city administration, strategic planning, budgeting and finance. This is exactly what we needed as a city.”
Kraft said the process of hiring an administrator goes back years.
“This goes back 30 or 40 years,” he said. “In 2009, an ordinance was established to hire a city administrator, and here we are, 12 years later, finally acting on it. It’s a tremendous opportunity, and we’ll look back on this moment and say this was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”
Hutchison grew up in La Crosse, joined the service after high school, is married and has two children.
“Our new grandson recently brought us back to the Fox Valley area,” Hutchison said. “I have 22 years of municipal management experience, with the past 12 being a city administrator. I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration and have attended numerous management courses. Most of all, I’ve learned to listen and work well with my staff and elected officials.”
Hutchison said one of his main goals is to build a good relationship with Seymour’s elected officials.
“That’s my top priority at the moment,” he said. “Over the next three to six months, I’d like to get a good institutional understanding of the knowledge each stakeholder has, so we have a strategic plan. It involves everyone in the community – it’s about getting to know everyone and their concerns.”
Alderman Alex Tetzlaff said Hutchison had other options.
“I’d like to thank Sean for choosing Seymour,” he said. “After reading your resume and everything that came out of the interview process, we’re all excited to have you here.”
Why did Hutchinson pick Seymour?
“Seymour has that small-town quality of life that will allow me to get to know the residents, business owners and provide that responsive government,” he said.