By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
The agenda for the Dodge County Board of Supervisors meeting on June 21 includes the appointment of Cameron Clapper as county administrator, a recommendation being made by the Executive Committee. According to Daily Dodge, “The Dodge County Board’s Executive Committee has been leading the administrator search, which began in March. They selected Clapper from a field of seventeen applicants. Clapper and three other finalists participated in an assessment process on June 6th and 7th. During a meet and greet with county officials, he told Daily Dodge he has an interest in county government.”
Per a March 8 article in Daily Dodge, the current administrator, “Jim Mielke was hired in 2008 after Dodge County switched to a county administrator form of government from administrative coordinator. County Board Chairman Russ Kottke thanked Mielke for his work over the past 13-and-a-half years. He says when Mielke was hired the county never expected him to stay in the position for so long because that is not the trend.” Mielke’s last day was June 1, and an outside interim administrator is in place.
Clapper has served as Whitewater’s city manager since 2012. Prior to that he served as interim city manager for four months upon the resignation of city manager Kevin Brunner, with whom he had worked as assistant city manager for two years. Clapper told the Whitewater Banner that if confirmed he will begin work in Dodge County on August 22, and that his last day at the Whitewater municipal building would be August 5. He indicated that he didn’t have further comment at this time.
According to wisconsindemographics.com, Dodge County is the 19th largest county of the 72 in the state, with a population of nearly 88,000. Walworth County is listed as 15th largest, with approximately 103,000 residents, and Jefferson County is shown as 20th largest, with approximately 85,000 people. The Dodge County seat is Juneau. (There is a Juneau county, but the city of Juneau is obviously not in that county.)
