The Essex Junction Board of Trustees have appointed senior staff members Wendy Hysko and Brad Luck as interim co-managers to oversee Village operations when current manager Evan Teich’s contract expires in February 2022. Hysko and Luck will begin working with Teich immediately to assure a smooth transition.
Village President Andrew Brown said the Trustees wanted to delay the search for a new full-time manager, which can take several months or longer, until after the Vermont Legislature has ruled on Essex Junction’s city charter initiative in the upcoming 2022 Legislative session. The new charter, overwhelmingly approved by Village voters in November, would establish Essex Junction as a city fully independent of Essex Town.
Hysko holds a bachelor’s degree in human ecology and literary non-fiction writing and a master’s degree in library and information science and has served as Brownell Library director for 6 years. In that role she oversees Vermont’s second largest municipal library with 13 staff members and an independently elected board of trustees. Hysko also serves as President of the Green Mountain Library Consortium and was central to launching the statewide library courier service in 2016 that included over 100 libraries that transferred over the Vermont Department of Libraries in 2018.
As co-manager, Hysko will work with Essex Junction’s department heads to oversee all aspects of municipal operations including government administration, public works, fire, wastewater, and community development. She will also work with Luck to coordinate the hiring of new Essex Junction staff for finance, human resources, and information technology to replace positions lost due to the termination of shared service agreements with Essex Town.
Luck holds a bachelor’s degree in business and political science and a master’s degree in public administration and a certificate in positive organization development. He has served as Essex Junction Recreation and Parks director for 14 years. In that role he helped establish one of the state’s most popular and multifaceted community recreation operations with 23 full-time staff and an enterprise program budget of $3 Million.
As co-manager with Hysko, Luck will coordinate the process for advancing the city charter initiative through the Vermont Legislature and oversee the contractual and technical aspects of Essex Junction’s transition from an incorporated village to a fully independent city. He will also interface with the Board of Trustees, providing operative oversight of agendas and legislative actions. Luck will also be in charge of preparations for Essex Junction’s annual meeting in which the FY ’23 budget will be approved and board elections will be held.
Both Hysko and Luck will work with current unified town/village manager Evan Teich’s management team until February to coordinate communications, contractual agreements, and joint board meetings between the two governments.
Village President Brown thanked Hysko and Luck for stepping forward to take on the additional responsibility of guiding Essex Junction through its transitional period. “Wendy and Brad are two experienced leaders who bring energy and intelligence to their jobs,” said Brown. “The popularity of their departments reflects their capabilities and commitment to excellence. Their dedication and hard work have earned the respect of Village staff, the Board of Trustees, and all those community members who have come to know them. I also want to take this opportunity to extend our deepest thanks to outgoing manager Evan Teich for his years of service with us and his leadership.”