July 13, 2026
VIROQUA Wis.– After years of major structural shifts in county management the county is hoping the addition of former Viroqua administrator Nate Torres as the county’s third administrator will solidify those changes and their management team. Torres officially assumed the role of Vernon County administrative coordinator on June 23 and takes over a county still in the midst some structural shifts including centralized accounting and payroll systems, new budgeting processes, building and facility challenges and a finance department that is only a few years old.
The county announced the hiring through a press release noting that Torres now oversees county administration, supports the County Board of Supervisors and works closely with departments, elected officials, staff and the public. During his first weeks with the county Torres met with department leaders elected officials committee members and staff to build relationships and gain a deeper understanding of county operations.
Torres holds a master degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University and brings seven years of experience as the City Administrator for the City of Viroqua. In that municipal role he oversaw several large community projects including a police department renovation the construction of a new fire station and a new city hall building along with development initiatives like the Main Street Apartments and the Hanson Farm project. Prior to his work in Viroqua Torres was the School Age Administrator at the La Crosse Area Family YMCA where he oversaw numerous licensed childcare programs across La Crosse County.
“After seven years serving the City of Viroqua I am incredibly excited to begin my role as Administrative Coordinator for Vernon County,” said Torres. “As a dedicated and professional leader in governance I strive to listen first work collaboratively with all stakeholders and lead with respect and trust. I am deeply grateful that the County Board has granted me the opportunity to support Vernon County. I look forward to expanding the positive impact the County has created among its many communities”.
County Board Chair Lorn Goede echoed that optimism in the county press release.
“We are looking forward to working with Nate as our new County Administrative Coordinator,” said Goede. “He brings valuable local government experience from his time with the City of Viroqua and already has a good understanding of Vernon County and our communities. We are glad to have him on board”.
Torres steps into a position that was recently vacated by former Administrative Coordinator Cassandra Hanan who announced her resignation in March citing a desire for a better work and life balance while her boys are still at home.
However the process of hiring Torres was not without some dissension among county leaders. The search quickly sparked debate when the General Government Committee scheduled interviews for internal candidates on April 1 even though the public application deadline did not close until April 5. County Clerk Jerry Pedretti accused some on the committee of operating with a double standard and questioned why the five elected county officers were entirely excluded from serving on the interview panel. Following a tense debate over the timeline the county ultimately reviewed over 90 applicants and interviewed four qualified candidates before extending the offer to Torres. The final county board approval to hire Torres passed on an 11 to 7 paper ballot vote.
The administrative coordinator role itself is the product of years of structural friction and executive transitions. Back in the fall of 2020 the county board voted to create a formal county administrator position to centralize decision making and professionalize the county management. The county hired Cari Redington as its first administrator in December 2020. Redington subsequently created a finance department with a finance director and moved accounting and budgeting processes out of the clerks office.
The political winds shifted shortly after Goede was elected board chair in April 2022. Under state statute a county administrator has the power to appoint non-elected committee members which stripped that traditional appointment power away from the board chair. In October 2022 the board held a surprise vote following a closed session to eliminate the county administrator position entirely and revert back to an administrative coordinator model that allows for the board chair to choose those committee members.
That move effectively ousted Redington but legally obligated the county to pay out the remainder of her contract through the end of 2023. When Hanan was hired as the new administrative coordinator in May 2023 the county found itself paying two top executive salaries for the remainder of that year.
Under Wisconsin law an administrative coordinator has less explicit statutory authority than a formal county administrator but the coordinator is still responsible for coordinating all administrative and management functions of the county government not otherwise vested by law in boards commissions or in other elected officers.
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