Shawano County Administrative Coordinator Jim Davel is leaving his post sooner than planned.
As of Nov. 3, Davel will be the new village administrator in Kronenwetter in Marathon County. He had earlier announced his retirement/resignation effective Jan. 5, 2026.
“I think it’s a different challenge than what I have been working the last few years,” said Davel, of the village administrator position in a news release issued by the village. “In the service, I moved around a lot doing different jobs and wanted to try something new.”
Earlier in his career, Davel spent 30 years in the military.
Davel was appointed administrative coordinator May 19, 2021. He had previously served as the emergency management director for Shawano County, starting in that role Sept. 17, 2018.
A retired U.S. Army colonel, Davel’s military career included deployments to Afghanistan and assignments in Kansas and Minnesota before he returned home to Shawano in 2018.
The hiring of a village administrator comes after several years of turnover in the role following the departure of Richard Downey, who served in the role from 2012-22. Several people held the role on an interim basis while Leonard Ludi and Peter Kampfer were hired and resigned within months of taking on the position in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
“I don’t see any challenges, only opportunities to improve the community,” Davel said. “I believe Kronenwetter is a great community with a great team supporting that community.”
The Kronenwetter Village Board voted Sept. 30 to hire Davel. He accepted the offer Oct. 1. He will be paid $115,000 per year.
Davel told Shawano County officials in July of his intent to leave his post in January. He hoped to give officials time to determine the direction in which they wanted to move.
Three forms of the executive branch in county government exist: county executive, county administrator and county administrative coordinator. Each has varying duties and responsibilities.
Davel’s final day with Shawano County has not been announced, and county officials have not said how they will proceed.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
