Brown Deer village manager is finalist for job in Eau Claire

Brown Deer - Village Manager Russell Van Gompel is a top-three finalist for the position of city manager in Eau Claire.

Van Gompel, who has been with Brown Deer for 14 years, said he was contacted about the job after former City Manager Mike Huggins retired in December.

Eau Claire has a city manager and Common Council-style of government, similar to the village manager and Village Board setup in Brown Deer. Van Gompel said he's confident in his experience as a manager, which should help his chances of landing the new job.

"It's one of the biggest cities and it has a manager form of government," Van Gompel said. "I'm excited about the possibility."

Van Gompel and the other two remaining candidates are scheduled for an additional round of interviewing Thursday as well as additional background screening. The Eau Claire City Council will then need to work through contact negotiations with their selected candidate, possibly announcing a new city manager within the next 30 days.

Should Van Gompel be selected, the village will need to find a time frame for his departure and replacement.

"A lot of it will have to depend on sitting down with the Village Board and discussing an exit strategy," Van Gompel said, though he estimates a 60- to 90-day period from the date he would be chosen to the time he could be out the door.

Regardless of whether he gets the new job, Van Gompel's meditation on his time with Brown Deer is the same:

"Overall, I hope I made Brown Deer a better place to live."