It's Official: Ed Henschel Hired as Waukesha City Administrator

Ed Henschel is officially Waukesha’s new city administrator.

The Common Council unanimously approved his hire Tuesday night. He will be paid an annual salary of $140,000. However, the city will save $15,000 annually on his medical benefits package as he will not receive health insurance from Waukesha.

Henschel, who was village manager of Elm Grove from 1977 to 1993, and Whitefish Bay from 1993 to 2000, will begin on Monday.

Henschel is the executive director of the Wisconsin City/County Management Association, a post he has held since 2001. He also is the general manager and senior consultant for RW Management Group and an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Henschel said he is humbled by the appointment and that public administration’s goal is to provide high quality services at the lowest cost.

“That is going to be our mantra and our goal,” Henschel said.

Community Development Director Steve Crandell has been operating as interim city administrator since Lori Luther’s departure in August 2011. Luther left to become a county administrator in Illinois.

The search for a new city administrator took a stumble in June when and

The Waukesha Common Council earlier this summer approved a contract with Illinois-based Voorhees and Associates to restart the search.

“It feels like we have arrived at a destination after a lot of planning, changing of plans and some detours along the way,” said Joan Francoeur, chair of the Human Resources Committee.

The chance for the city to hire someone of Henschel’s experience with the added financial benefits almost seemed “too good to be true,” explained Francoeur after the meeting.

However, expectations are high as the council believes Henschel's the perfect fit to move Waueksha forward.

The city is providing a $500 monthly reimbursement for the cost of a Medicare supplemental health insurance policy. However, health care premiums would otherwise cost the city $2,000 each month.

Additional savings to the city come because Henschel already lives in Waukesha. The city will not have to pay relocation expenses, said Francoeur, or additional city administrator search firm fees.

Common Council President Joe Pieper also urged council members to vote to hire Henschel.

“I look forward to working with Ed going forward,” Pieper said.