New City Manager selection
Summary
Rebecca Houseman will lead city staff starting November 2 after a unanimous council vote. Her career began at Janesville City Hall 22 years ago, and she pledged to build relationships and advance long-standing goals.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 13
- Last 30 days
- 0
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Sep 14, 2026.
Impact analysis
Her compensation terms are set in the employment agreement approved by the council; specifics weren't discussed.
The whole city gets a permanent, locally rooted chief executive instead of interim leadership.
Resident K Andreah Briarmoon argued executive compensation levels should be dialed back rather than repeated.
Mentions & discussions (15)
City Council Meeting - Sep 14, 2026
Rebecca Houseman will lead city staff starting November 2 after a unanimous council vote. Her career began at Janesville City Hall 22 years ago, and she pledged to build relationships and advance long-standing goals.
WISCONSIN SAYS NO: Janesville Passes Over Colin Kennedy for City Manager Job
WISCONSIN SAYS NO: Janesville Passes Over Colin Kennedy for City Manager Job Newport Buzz
Rebecca Houseman named Janesville's next city manager
Rebecca Houseman named Janesville's next city manager GazetteXtra
City Council Meeting - Special Session - Sep 3, 2026
The city is negotiating an employment agreement with a new city manager — the person who runs day-to-day city operations. The details are being worked out in closed session, so salary and contract terms aren't public yet.
City Council Meeting - Aug 26, 2026
The council is interviewing and deliberating on finalists to hire the city's next top administrator — the person who runs day-to-day operations, oversees departments, and manages the budget. The deliberations happened behind closed doors, as state law allows for personnel matters.
City Council Meeting - Aug 24, 2026
Interim City Manager Jay Shambeau reported interviews for the two city manager candidates will happen August 26, moving the city closer to filling its top administrative job.
Janesville city manager finalists share insights, experiences and tackle questions on communication, conflict
Janesville city manager finalists share insights, experiences and tackle questions on communication, conflict GazetteXtra
City Council Meeting - Aug 13, 2026
Janesville is choosing a new city manager, the top administrator who runs day-to-day city operations. The council met privately to review applications and decide who advances to next-round interviews.
City Council Meeting - Aug 10, 2026
Council interviewed another candidate tonight, with more interviews August 13 and tentatively August 26; a council member quipped that hiring a good city manager is the fix for directives going unexecuted.
City Council Meeting - Aug 3, 2026
The council is actively working on hiring a new city manager — the city's top administrator who oversees day-to-day operations and department heads. The details of the candidate search are being handled in closed session, so residents won't see who's being considered until the council is ready to act publicly.
City Council Meeting - Jul 27, 2026
The city has 24 applicants for the city manager job — half from Wisconsin — with 18 holding master's degrees or higher. Interviews could start August 4.
City Council Meeting - May 26, 2026
With Kevin Lahner departing at the end of May, the council heard the recruitment plan: public input sessions May 28 and June 4 plus a resident survey, run by the search firm Innovative Public Advisors.
City Council Meeting - May 11, 2026
With Kevin Lahner resigning, the council hired Jay Shambeau as interim manager starting June 1 and Innovative Public Advisors to run the permanent search. Some residents urged choosing a local leader and watching compensation levels.
City officials confirm elimination of the deputy city manager position
City officials confirm elimination of the deputy city manager position GazetteXtra
Janesville city manager finalist still in consideration amid sexual harassment scandal
Janesville city manager finalist still in consideration amid sexual harassment scandal GazetteXtra
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