Council rejects GI Mayor’s city administrator choice

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - The Grand Island City Council Tuesday rejected Mayor Roger Steele’s choice for city administrator.

On a 6-3 vote the council denied approval for Laura McAloon as city administrator. McAloon was hired recently as Grand Island City Attorney and she will continue in that role for the time being.

Former City Administrator Jerry Janulewicz has retired. A city spokesperson said that as of now, the city of Grand Island has neither a city administrator nor an interim city administrator.

McAloon has only been the city attorney since September.

City councilman Chuck Haase criticized the mayor for not appointing an interim administrator and for not proposing a search firm to find candidates for the job. He also said McAloon had no experience as a city administrator. Haase said it was up to the mayor to determine the next step.

As of Wednesday morning, it was not clear what the next step would be. Mayor Steele declined Local4′s request for a Wednesday interview.