ABOVE: Dawn Collins, the new Blue Earth City Administrator, is expected to begin July 29.

BLUE EARTH– The Blue Earth City Council had a busy day conducting candidate interviews for the vacant city administrator position on Tuesday, June 10. Four candidates were interviewed: Dawn Collins, Chad Edwards, Jason Baker and Angela Grafstrom.

Following a closed session for contract negotiations on Tuesday afternoon, an employment agreement was offered to Dawn Collins. She has accepted the offer, contingent on final review of a complete employment agreement and final approval by the City Council which was scheduled for Monday night’s City Council meeting.

Collins’ start date as city administrator of Blue Earth will be Tuesday, July 29.

Dawn Collins currently serves as the town administrator for Palmer Lake, Colorado, with over 14 years of experience in municipal leadership.

She is recognized for her ethical leadership and strong organizational skills, having led comprehensive updates to city policies, strategic planning, and infrastructure initiatives.

She is a ICMA-credentialed candidate and certified municipal clerk, with demonstrated success in budget management, community engagement, and intergovernmental collaboration across municipalities ranging from 3,000 to 75,000 residents.

“I’m originally from Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, and I have family who live in both Wisconsin and Minnesota, so coming to the Midwest feels like coming home to me,” Collins shared during her interview. “I started as a municipal clerk in Ashwaubenon, and it was there that I learned that I do very well wearing multiple hats and multitasking. That’s where my career started.”

Collins also served as the municipal clerk for Appleton for a time, though she quickly learned that bigger cities weren’t for her.

“I learned a lot of the legal side of government from that job, but also that larger cities weren’t my forte,” Collins commented. “It was a bunch of small problems on a large scale, and I missed the multitasking I had been doing in smaller cities, so I stepped out of local government for a bit. I actually learned about Blue Earth during that three-year period of downtime, so that’s what led me to apply here.”

During the questioning portion of her interview with the City Council, Collins emphasized her role as a supportive presence in city government, as well as her wealth of experience when tackling common administrative duties such as budgeting, grant-writing, and negotiating conflicts of interest.

Council member John Huisman posed a hypothetical situation in which Collins was the subject of community backlash after being asked by the council to undertake a directive to bring smaller, more affordable houses to the community, and asked how she would go about resolving this predicament.

“My question to you is, what can be done about the issue, and who should be involved in solving it?” Huisman asked.

“In this situation, I believe it is important to emphasize the facts of the issue and be transparent with the community,” Collins answered. “At the same time, the council should remember that it is ultimately our decision how the project proceeds, and to do the right things for the right reasons.”

In another round of questioning, council member Dan Ristau asked Collins about what she would require from the council if she was chosen for the job.

“What do you need from the council in order to be successful in this position?” Ristau asked.

“I want our relationship to be a partnership, and as such I would want support from the council, as that’s something I haven’t received a lot of from some of my past colleagues,” Collins responded. “I also want to receive consistent feedback on how I’m doing, and to have a clear idea of what common message the council is presenting to the city of Blue Earth.”

Another question presented during the interview asked how Collins would get involved with the community beyond her role as city administrator.

“My husband and I have both historically been heavily involved in our local communities, specifically through volunteering with local organizations,” Collins shared. “Here, I would focus on attending as many community events events as possible, and try to figure out where my niche is in this community.”

A final interview question posed to Collins was about what she considered to be her greatest strengths.

“I’ve always viewed myself as a public servant, and one of my strengths is serving and uplifting my fellow staff members,” Collins responded. “I would also say that my communication skills with the council are an asset – I believe in being as open and transparent with people as possible.”

While Collins was selected as the new city administrator, three other candidates were interviewed by the council during Tuesday’s round of interviews.