Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the city on October 19.
The City of Whitewater Common Council announces three finalists for the position of City Manager.
The finalists are James “Jim” Palenick, David R. Porter and John S. Weidl.
Jim Palenick is the former City Manager for Middletown, Ohio and resides in Middletown. Jim has over 34 years of
experience in service to local government as a City Manager/Chief Administrative Officer including Middletown, City
Administrator for the City of Racine, Wisconsin; Director of Economic & Business Development in the City of Fayetteville,
North Carolina; Interim & Town Manager, Town of Dallas, North Carolina; City Manager for the City of Gastonia, North
Carolina; City Manager for the City of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; City Manager for the City of Bay City, Michigan; City
Manager for the City of Dowagiac, Michigan; and Village Manager for the Village of Dexter, Michigan. Jim graduated with
Honors from Western Michigan University with an MPA degree; Summa Cum Laude with a BS Degree in Public
Administration from Western Michigan; and an AAS degree from Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
David Porter is the Village Administrator of Winneconne, Wisconsin and resides in Winneconne, Wisconsin. David has
previously been the Management Analyst and Interim HR Manager for the Town of Wayland in Wayland, Massachusetts;
Co-Founder and Consultant to Trisector Advisors in Brookline, Massachusetts; Senior Researcher for the Center for
Public Leadership in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Program Manager for EDX, Inc. in Cambridge Massachusetts; Advisor
and Project Manager for The Readiness Project in Washington D.C.; Legal Assistant for Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
in Washington D.C.; and a Consultant for Bancroft Associates, PLLC, in Washington DC. David graduated Cum Laude
from Harvard College with an Artium Baccalaureus in History with a certificate in Latin American Studies and a Citation in
Spanish Language. David holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard Kennedy School.
John Weidl is the current Interim City Manager of the City of Whitewater and also a Town Supervisor for the Township of
Lafayette, Wisconsin; residing in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He has previously held the position of Village Administrator/Director
of Economic Development, Mukwonago, Wisconsin; City Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer and Director of Public Works for
the City of Princeton, Wisconsin; and Office of the Administrator for the Village of Lake Zurich, Illinois. He has been a
Leadership Counselor for the Edward YMCA Camp in East Troy, Wisconsin and a Team Leader, Customer Service
Director and Database Manager for the U.S. Air Force. John is a decorated United States Air Force (USAF) Combat
Veteran with tours of duty in Europe and Middle East, including joint combat service with the United States Army. John
holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political
Science/European History, also from Northern Illinois University.
Interviews for the three candidates will take place Friday, October 21, 2022. A community reception and “Meet and Greet”
for the finalists will be held at the City of Whitewater Municipal Building located at 312 W. Whitewater Street from 5 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. on the first floor Community Room, Friday evening. This Meet and Greet is open to the public and citizens are
encouraged to attend and extend a warm welcome to each candidate. The common council will also hold interviews with
the candidates and deliberate on Saturday, October 22, 2022.
