Dunn County accepts road superintendent’s resignation, names interim and votes to post position

The Dunn County Board of Commissioners accepted a resignation from road superintendent Terry Schwarzenberger and immediately appointed assistant Mike Kerry as interim road superintendent.

Commissioner Pelton moved to accept Schwarzenberger’s resignation; Commissioner Heiser seconded the motion and the board voted to approve it. Commissioners thanked Schwarzenberger for roughly 25 years of county service. Following that vote, Commissioner Heiser moved and Commissioner Pelton seconded a motion to appoint Mike Kerry as interim road superintendent; Kerry acknowledged the "big shoes to fill" and accepted the interim assignment.

Commissioners then debated whether to open a formal recruitment for the permanent road superintendent post while Kerry serves as interim. Some commissioners said posting is standard hiring practice and urged a four-week posting to attract qualified candidates; others suggested giving Kerry time to demonstrate capability before pursuing external applicants. Human Resources director Desi urged consistency in posting and recruiting practices and recommended moving forward with a standard posting. After a roll-call vote with mixed yes/no responses the board voted to post and advertise the vacancy and directed HR to proceed with a typical posting period and candidate timetable.

Why it matters: The road superintendent oversees dozens of road department employees and materially affects public-safety operations and maintenance schedules. Commissioners underscored both the operational importance of the position and the need for a fair hiring process.

Next steps: HR will prepare and publish the job advertisement (typical posting window cited as four weeks) and bring candidate materials back to the commission for review; the interim appointment remains in effect during the search.