City Administrator Bruce Clymer [Gothenburg, Nebraska] can’t be accused of tunnel vision. At least, that’s the story from City Clerk Connie Dalrymple, who has worked alongside Clymer since he was hired in 1991.

“He looks at things from the big picture,” Dalrymple said about the man who was voted by city employees as the 2002 Employee of the Year. “Bruce has the unique ability to be able to see and work at issues from both the employee and administrative point of view. He combines the two to the benefit of everyone.”

A case in point as described by Dalrymple was during 2002, when hourly-paid city employees joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Although the workers no longer belong to the union, Dalrymple said that Clymer wanted what was best for employees and the city during wage and benefit negotiations.

When Clymer was recognized for his efforts during a banquet [in February], he said he was shocked because his position is not often one of popularity. “It’s probably been by far the most difficult year in working with both the council and employees in regard to employer/employee relationships and working and negotiating with the union,” he explained.

Clymer said the difficulty was in being an employee and trying to represent the interests of the employer—the city. “Many meetings were stressful,” he said. “It was just a tough year in the management of personnel.” In addition, Clymer said the city is challenged by competition with private industry and other communities in providing comparable wages and benefits to employees.

“We’re required to pay comparable wages, and health insurance rates have risen dramatically,” he said. “We have to try and keep matching pay raises with private industry and other communities, but it’s difficult to keep everything in balance and still try to hold the line on spending.”

Still, the biggest challenge he sees is staying ahead of the city’s aging infrastructure. “The cost to put in water, electricity, and sewer the first time is a lot cheaper than putting it in a second time,” he noted. “Those things are maybe fine for five, 10, and even 20 years, but someday they all have to be replaced.”

For example, Clymer pointed to the continuing installation of a new, larger water main from the 16th-Street well south on Avenue G to 12th Street. An increase in water use because of the new junior/senior high school under construction prompted the decision to do the work, as well as continuous repairs on the aging line. “We’re finally spending money to replace it,” he explained. “Everything wears out someday, and the challenge will be finding the money to replace those things.”

Within the electrical department, Clymer said, operational costs continue to rise. He noted that the city and taxpayers have spent close to half a million dollars during the past five years on the installation of a second electrical feed, the construction of a new substation, and replacing older electrical lines. “What is under and over the street is often forgotten,” he said about the often-obscure need to upgrade electrical, water, and sewer systems.

But progress also excites Clymer, who, as city administrator, has seen the completion of several huge projects. A few months after completing a business degree with an emphasis in accounting in 1991, Clymer became city administrator when the city’s new wastewater treatment plant was under construction.

“I became part of the design team working with the engineers and the contractor, and it was a real eye-opener,” he said. “I was thrown into the $3 million project, and it opened me up to the world of construction.”

Following that project, Clymer became involved with the building of the new city maintenance facility, the renovation of and addition to the public library, the building of the Fourth-Street industrial tract, and the installation of new downtown sewer works, sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, to name a few items.

Clymer described his role as minor in the expansion of Baldwin Filters but felt as if he had provided support for the recruitment and location of Liquitech, McDonald’s, Frito-Lay, Inc., Hipp Wholesale Foods, Inc., and the development of the Gothenburg Improvement Company’s Third Addition—particularly the installation of water and sewer.

“I feel fortunate to be part of the growth of the community in a place where people are getting things done,” he said, describing himself as a cog in the wheel that makes things happen. “I’m definitely not the driver.”

On a smaller scale, Clymer said his day-to-day activities are geared mostly toward budgeting and forecasting the needs of the city. What he likes most is the variety of his job. “I like working on the computer with spreadsheets, but I also love to work on projects,” Clymer explained, adding that he also enjoys writing grants and is a certified community development block grant administrator, which is helpful in applying for and obtaining grants.

Perhaps the hardest part of Clymer’s job is when fellow employees die, like librarian Barb Plank and dispatcher Leora Collins, who both passed away from cancer. “It’s difficult when the people you work with face those kinds of situations,” he said.

Other not-so-pleasant situations that are part of his job include dealing with such problems as people who are late in paying city bills or those who violate the city code. “It’s a stressful situation when people are upset, so you try and work with them and be a good public servant,” Clymer said.

In addition to trying to serve the public, Clymer listed honesty, a willingness to learn, and a willingness to work as important qualities in an employee—attributes that he said almost all city employees have. “I’ve learned to be a better person throughout the years here,” he said. “My goal is to serve the public the best way I know how.”

Clymer said he feels fortunate to work with the city employees, council, and mayors during the past decade. “I’ve never had to experience situations that a lot of communities have, when you have to deal with a council that is split on every issue,” he said. “I don’t expect council votes always to be unanimous, but I’ve never experienced a situation where the council is split personality-wise.”

Clymer, 49, grew up on a farm south of Brady, Nebraska, with two brothers and a sister. He graduated from Brady High School. During his leisure time, he enjoys being with spouse Lori and daughters Jennie, Jill, and Josie, golfing, and spending time outdoors.

He is working toward a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Elizabeth Barrett, Staff Writer, Gothenburg Times, Gothenburg, Nebraska