City Council unanimously confirmed Lori Tretter as Bowling Green’s next municipal administrator at its March 16 meeting.

Mayor Richard Edwards asked for Tretter’s confirmation based on her education and understanding of the position.

“Lori Tretter is well-prepared by academic training and by experience to be the next municipal administrator,” Edwards said.

She earned a degree in political science from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree in public administration from Bowling Green State University.

Tretter has worked for the city since 1997. Since 2007, she has been the assistant municipal administrator. She will assume the role of municipal administrator on July 1.

“She is thoroughly familiar with all aspects of the job,” Edwards said. “John Fawcett has planned well for Lori’s succession by increasingly giving her more and more line management responsibilities, including having a lead role in the development of the last two city budgets.”

Edwards said that planning for a successor is not always appropriate, but an open search for candidates was not necessary in this case due to Tretter’s qualifications.

Council President Michael Aspacher said he “wholeheartedly and with no reservations” supported the appointment.

Tretter thanked Edwards and Council for the confirmation, and Fawcett for his guidance. She called it an honor to serve Bowling Green’s citizens.

The Bowling Green Human Relations Commission presented the Honor Roll Award to Kelly and Laura Wicks for promoting diversity through Grounds for Thought.

Grounds for Thought is “much more than a coffee shop” said Reverend Mary Jane Saunders of the commission. It is an “informal community center … where all kinds of people come into contact with each other.”

This promotes people understanding one another, and that understanding has a broad reach, Saunders said, citing that “A recent petition drive by a group working for marriage equality had Grounds for Thought customer signatories from 48 Ohio counties.”

Kelly Wicks thanked the commission and said it has been a pleasure to be part of the community.

Monday city officials met with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency representatives to review the city’s water treatment system.

Edwards said, “I found it very reassuring to go through this process of looking at about 35 to 40-some questions, and each one the city of Bowling Green could respond in a very, very affirmative, very positive way that we are meeting the expectations of the state. In fact they really are looking to Bowling Green.”