Councilman named administrator

Kerry Brugger, who represented 3rd Ward, replaces Bruce Evilsizor.

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By Matt Sanctis, Staff Writer 10:41 PM Monday, February 6, 2012

URBANA — Kerry Brugger was named Urbana city administrator Monday afternoon after the mayor praised his experience in private business.

Brugger will leave his seat as a City Council member serving the third ward. Brugger will also leave his job at Navistar Inc., where he serves as the supply manager for indirect purchasing and logistics.

Bill Bean, mayor of Urbana, praised Brugger’s work experience and time on council. Brugger has not managed a city, but Bean said he has the organizational and management skills needed to do the job well. Bean said he looked for someone with experience in the private sector, as well as someone local if possible.

“It’s a $15 million business,” Bean said of the city. “We need to treat it that way.”

As city administrator, Brugger will earn about $97,000 per year, Bean said.

Brugger will replace former administrator Bruce Evilsizor, who was not retained in the position when Bean was elected mayor.

Brugger said he’s looking forward to the challenge. His first task, he said, will be to meet with city staff and begin to prioritize tasks. He said he feels his job is not to micromanage but to pull together individuals and departments.

“There is a good group of people in this organization,” Brugger said.

Although he recently completed a search for other candidates, Bean said he knew as early as last fall that Brugger was the one he wanted for the job.

Initially, Brugger said he was caught off-guard by the offer. As he thought about it, Brugger liked the idea of the challenge. He said the skills needed in his private sector jobs are the same as those needed to manage a city.

“The skills and talents needed for that don’t change just because you’re wearing a different hat,” Brugger said.

Bean said Brugger already has a good sense of how a business works.

“It’s easier to learn the municipal side of it than the business side of it,” Bean said.

Brugger has traveled for work, but he grew up and worked in the area most of his life. He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration from Urbana University, and eventually worked there as a director of physical plant and maintenance. He began working at Navistar in 1999 as a lead administrative supervisor before taking his most recent job there.

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