Public speaker urges EQ testing, transparency as committee advances administrator search and land-and-water plan process

A Sawyer County resident urged the Administrative Committee on Monday to include measures of emotional intelligence and a broader assessment of candidates’ practical thinking skills as the county continues its search for a new administrator.

Linda Zilmer, an Edgewater property owner who addressed the committee during public comment, said the county should look beyond resumes. “It’s taking—it’s beyond just looking at the duties of the job,” she said, urging that candidates be able to rebuild relationships with towns and apply ideas learned elsewhere to local problems.

Zilmer also raised the upcoming 10‑year update of the county’s land and water resource management plan, telling the committee that “by state statute, that requires a public hearing” and that stakeholder meetings should be open and published so towns and residents can participate.

The remarks tied into committee work on the administrator search: members were reminded that closed‑session candidate materials would be distributed in advance and that interviews and review of applicants will continue the following day. Committee leaders asked that department heads be included in the interview process to provide operational perspective.

Committee members did not adopt a new formal hiring policy during the meeting. The chair and staff said the full review and candidate interviews would continue at the next scheduled sessions; the committee discussed scheduling interviews for the 19th and 20th of the month and agreed department heads would be invited to participate in the vetting process.

Why it matters: the committee is selecting the county’s next administrator and will also oversee the statutorily required public‑process for the land and water plan update. The committee’s choices about candidate assessment and the openness of the planning process affect how the county interacts with towns and residents and how county projects are coordinated across departments.

Context and next steps: members were told closed‑session applicant materials would be handed out ahead of the review meeting to allow time for reading. Department heads Tim Hagberg, Doug Merltec and Julie (HealthInfo Services) were proposed to offer input during interviews. The committee plans to reconvene for continued candidate review and interviews on the dates discussed.