Council Names New City Administrator
The Ottumwa City Council has approved the hiring of Joseph Helfenberger as City Administrator. He will begin his duties in February. Mayor Dale Uehling said, "The Council and I are pleased that Mr. Helfenberger has accepted our offer to be Ottumwa's new City Administrator. He comes to us with over twenty years of public administration experience. I'm sure that he will do an excellent job for the people of Ottumwa." Noting that the City Council evaluated four well-qualified candidates, Uehling added, "Joe will be an excellent fit for the Council, city organization and our community." The City Council approved Helfenberger's appointment at a Special Meeting on Monday, January 14th.
Helfenberger originally hails from the Chicago area. He is currently the Village Administrator in Hobart, Wisconsin; having served in that position since 1997. Prior to that he was Village Administrator at Pulaski Wisconsin. Helfenberger holds a Masters degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Wisconsin.
Helfenberger said, "Ottumwa is a very unique City with a lot of potential. I am looking forward to working with the City Council to meet Ottumwa's challenges and help the community prosper. My family and I are eager to make Ottumwa our new home." Helfenberger's wife, Jan, is home health nurse. The Helfenbergers have five children. Joe Jr. and Maria attend UW-Madison. Jenny is a sophomore in high school and the twins - Elizabeth and David - attend middle school.
The City Administrator supervises the City's administrative and day-to-day operations and is responsible for implementing the direction set by the City Council. Ottumwa's last City Administrator, Andy Morris, resigned last September to accept a similar postion in Missouri. City Finance Director/Treasurer Mike Heffernan as been interim City Administrator since Morris' departure.