Wausau Police and Fire Commission Looking for New Police Chief and Fire Chief

Thursday, June 29th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) The Wausau Police and Fire Commission will have their hands full for the rest of the year, as two key public safety officials will step down from their positions in the next six months.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, first it's Police Chief Ben Bliven, who has accepted a new job in the private sector and will leave his role as police chief by September 1st. Fire Chief Bob Barteck also announced his retirement this week, with an end date of December 15th. Both say that the moves are not related- only a coincidence that they happen to be occurring so close together.

The Commission learned the news on Monday, and they'll hold a closed-door discussion Friday morning to map out their next steps including interim leaders for both the police and fire departments. Mayor Katie Rosenberg's office says there will be more information on the next steps released by Friday afternoon.

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