| By Big Radio News Staff |
The city of Janesville has quietly appointed a new public works operations director.
City public works employee Ethan Lee has been appointed to the post. The appointment was mentioned during a city of Janesville Sustainable Janesville Committee meeting Tuesday, and Lee’s name appears on the city’s website as the operations director.
Otherwise, the city has made no formal announcement of the appointment, and as of Wednesday morning, the city has not given information on the apparent departure of the operations director position by former Operations Director Maggie Darr.
Darr had served three years as Operations Director after being appointed by former city manager Mark Freitag to the post in 2021. Darr replaced longtime Operations Director John Whitcomb, who retired.
Darr was at the helm of the city’s logistical response to the June 22 tornado that hit Janesville’s south side. It’s not clear when or why Darr transitioned out of the role, or whether she still works for the city of Janesville.
City officials say Lee was appointed Monday.
Big Radio has submitted an open records request on Darr’s apparent move out of the operations director post. The city responded by saying it would require a nearly $700 fee to complete the request, which would require an email query.
Ethan Lee has worked for the city’s operations department as superintendent, holding various other roles in the department, including acting as the city’s resident tree expert.
The operations director is at the helm of the city’s streets department and the city’s landfill operations, among other duties.
