Village fills the last of its key vacancies

The Village of Grafton filled the last of its administrative openings on Monday night when the Village Board unanimously voted to hire Gabriel Gilbertson as its new community development director.

Gilbertson, whose appointment is contingent on the satisfaction of various pre-employment screenings, is the community development director for the Village of Sussex, a job he has held since August 2022.

The village interviewed two candidates for the post — a third finalist dropped out of the running before the interviews, Village Administrator Tim Wellnitz said.

Wellnitz said Gilbertson rose to the top of the list of candidates based on his technical skills and leadership skills.

“I think he would be a great leader for your staff,” Wellnitz said.

Gilbertson, who earned a bachelor of arts degree in urban geography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2012 and a master of urban planning degree from UWM in 2014, held a number of positions in Menomonee Falls, including management assistant and planning technician, before becoming the village’s planner in December 2016.

He held that job until he was hired as Sussex’s community development director.

  While Gilbertson has a wide range of experience, he said, he has done a lot of work on downtown development, something the village was seeking.

“He has a wide array of experience as community development director in Sussex and in Menomonee Falls,” Wellnitz said. “He has a diversity of development leadership and technical skills.”

Gilbertson will be paid $118,000 annually, Wellnitz said. His first day in Grafton will be March 16.

Gilbertson is the third administrative staff member to be hired by the board in recent weeks.

Wellnitz, who replaces longtime former Village Administrator Jesse Thyes, began work on Jan. 19. Thyes left to become administrator of the City of West Bend.

In December, the village hired Julie Schuetz Esch as its new director of public works and village engineer.

Schuetz Esch, who started in Grafton last month, replaces Amber Thomas, who resigned last April.