BROKEN BOW – Broken Bow City Council President David Schmidt has been named the new City Administrator for Broken Bow.
Schmidt, an Ansley native, has lived and worked in Broken Bow for about a quarter century and in an interview after his appointment at Tuesday’s city council meeting, pointed to that fact as a big reason for taking the job.
“I’m from here, and I want to be here. I’m not looking at this as a stepping stone, this isn’t a career step for me in order to get somewhere else. I want to be here, and I want to stay here.”
Schmidt will fill the vacancy left by outgoing City Administrator Dan Knoell starting April 27; the roughly two-week turnaround, he says, is to make sure that all aspects of the transition are handled smoothly.
“As of the meeting on the 25th I intend to tender my resignation to be effective the 27th, and the reason for that is I need to help the mayor between now and then, so I want to retain that position just to be involved.”
As far as that involvement goes, the newly tapped admin admits that adjusting to a day-to-day governmental pace will be a learning process, but believes in the strength and his knowledge of the unfolding projects all across the city: Eagle Crest, the wellness center, and the Municipal Building’s roof, to name a few.
“They’re all priorities. The weather’s nice, we’re going to try to get as absolutely much done as we can. I need to get a little bit up to speed on them, too. I’m on the council, I’ve been involved, I’m intimately familiar with them, but to get down on the front lines in the dirt, I’ve got some work to do there.”
Schmidt, for the time being, doesn’t know what will happen with the vacancy left as he moves into his role but believes that part of his stepping upward involves leaving those strenuous council decisions behind.
“One thing I can predict about politics is that I can’t predict politics. As far as the council president, that’s got to be up to the council. And I wouldn’t try to inject myself into that. The council needs to run the council.”
Even though he may not know the intricacies of city administration right off the bat, Schmidt does come well-informed about life and community.
“First and foremost: it’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice. I can’t take credit for writing it, but I do my absolute best to apply it.”
