By Melanie Rossi

Contributing Writer

PLOVER – This month, the village of Plover welcomed its new administrator, Steve Kunst.

Kunst graduated with a masters of urban planning degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2012 and has a history in community development.

He previously worked in the planning and zoning offices for Ozaukee, Shawano and Portage counties, in addition to being the community development director for the town of Rib Mountain.

Kunst first started working for the village of Plover as the community development manager in 2019, and “as part of the village’s succession plan for the administrator position, my role transitioned to the community development manager/assistant administrator in 2021,” Kunst said.

His role as administrator officially started on March 15 after the retirement of long-time administrator, Dan Mahoney.

His history in community development work has given Kunst a strong background to take on his new role and provided him with invaluable preparation.

“The role of planners [and] community development professionals requires a tremendous amount of coordination across all aspects of government,” Kunst said. “You are constantly looking to the future for communities and how decisions today will impact residents, businesses and public infrastructure long-term. I feel these experiences prepare someone very well for public administration.”

While Kunst’s extensive history in community work and development prepared him to take on the position of administrator, what truly attracted him to this role in Plover was the community itself.

“I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of great communities in my career, but nothing compares to Plover,” Kunst said. “The village board is made up of incredible people who have one goal in mind, doing what is best for Plover. They work so well together, and I am confident there is nothing we can’t accomplish. This community is proud of Plover, and I am proud to be a part of it.

“I look forward to continuing the positive growth the Village has experienced the past few decades by working with other municipal and community leaders to keep Plover as the place people want to live, work and play.”

Even though he’s just begun in his new role, Kunst is already excited for what the future holds for the village of Plover.

“An early emphasis is assisting in getting the Plover Area Convention and Visitors Bureau up and running in coordination with the town of Plover,” Kunst said. “I’m excited about the group we have and look forward to the future of the Plover community.”