Schmidt named new city administrator
BROKEN BOW David Schmidt, current city council president, is slated to become the city’s next City Administrator.
“I have called Broken Bow my home for almost 23 years,” Schmidt said. “I am passionate about this town and the people who call it home. This is an opportunity to serve the community in a new way and to fulfill a newfound passion for municipal government.”
Schmidt, a Custer County native, was appointed to the city council in February, 2020. He was elected to the council in February, 2022.
Schmidt has served with the Broken Bow Fire Department, as an EMT and has worked at Becton-Dickinson in technical and engineering roles. He holds two technical degrees and a degree in Business Administration of Technical Studies. He and his wife, Rachel, have four children.
After the dismissal of the previous administrator in February, the mayor said he wanted to take a different approach with selecting an administrator, emphasizing that “local” was a priority.
Sonnichsen also stated, “We’ve always looked for a Master’s Degree in Administration or something close. This time we used the ‘common sense’ rule. To get someone we felt was most compatible with our community, our staff and our direction, we needed to start looking at home.”
Sonnichsen, either as a council member or mayor, has been part of selecting a city administrator several times since 2014. The approximate threeyear tenure of an administrator meant a different approach was needed. “Longevity, retainability is what we looked at,” he said.
The mayor, council members and City Attorney Jason White discussed qualifications, reviewed applications and interviewed applicants. To avoid conflict with open meeting regulations, only two city council members attended any single meeting.
They looked at city councils in surrounding counties, noting that some cities retained locally-based administrators for up to 10 to 15 years. “A local person is more apt to succeed past our two and a half, three year norm,” the mayor said.
He continued, saying, “We looked at good things and bad things (of past administrators). What was very good was that they were growth-oriented. But it takes a year or a year and a half to get to know the people and learn the job.”
The group considered high-school-plus education and put high value on involvement as a volunteer in the community. “That shows the person is energetic,” the mayor said. Another factor was some familiarity with government laws or how a municipality is run.
Being able to promote the growth of Broken
Bow was also key. Other qualities looked for included working well with people, no inclination of personal gain through the position and fairness towards all city employees and citizens.
“They need to be a self-starter and utilize all the resources to grow the city,” the mayor added. “David Schmidt met everything we were looking for.”
The council’s approval for Schmidt’s appointment was set for Tuesday, April 11. Schmidt is set to begin the position April 27. A replacement for his East Ward position on the council will be appointed.
The Chief will have an in-depth interview with Schmidt in next week’s issue.
There were four applicants for the position, one from out-of-state and three local. One candidate withdrew their application. Schmidt was selected from two finalists.