The problem we kept running into while writing this story is that most Wisconsin cities between 20,000 and 100,000 people don’t treat the mayor’s office like it’s the throne room at Castle Grayskull.
They have part-time mayors at best, and actual city administrators doing the day-to-day work—because apparently some places figured out that running a city requires management, not just ribbon cuttings, press releases, marrying city councilors, swapping city property for paved bird sanctuaries, ignoring multiple civil rights issues, and another taxpayer-funded pat on the back
Superior Wins The Cost-Per-Citizen Wallet Wedgie
Superior has the highest mayor’s office budget in this comparison.
Not the biggest city.
Not the most staff.
Just the biggest bill.
That is a special kind of municipal magic trick. The rabbit disappears, the hat stays empty, and the taxpayers still get charged for the show.
Superior’s mayor’s office costs about $11.67 per superior resident. That beats Manitowoc, Neenah, Wausau, Greenfield, and Muskego. In normal language, Superior residents pay more per person for Mayor Jim’s office than these other Wisconsin cities pay for theirs.
In City Hall language, that probably becomes “strategic administrative alignment.”
Translation: expensive office, shrinking audience.
Manitowoc: Same Staff Count, Smaller Bill
Manitowoc has 34,626 people, a $264,788 mayor’s office budget, and 2 positions: the mayor and an assistant. Its personnel cost is listed at $249,704, with contractual services and supplies making up the rest.
Superior also has just 2 positions.
“But Superior spends about $47,380 more.”
So Manitowoc gets a two-person mayor’s office for less money, while Superior gets the deluxe Paine package with the undercoating, Scotchgard, and mysterious “other” line items.
Neenah: Almost The Same Size, Still Cheaper
Neenah has 27,319 people, just a few hundred more than Superior. Its mayor-related budget is $259,330 with 2 FTE, including mayor operations and city publication. The mayor salary is listed at $81,624 per year.
Superior has 2,000 fewer people and spends about $52,838 more.
That is not a rounding error. That is a fully loaded used car with heated seats and a questionable Carfax.
Wausau And Greenfield: The Budget Diet Cities
Wausau has 39,994 people, 2 positions, and a mayor’s office budget of $213,387. That is almost $100,000 less than Superior.
Greenfield has 37,803 people and the mayor office costs $175,710. Greenfield has no separate mayor’s office department; mayor costs sit inside the Common Council budget. It counts 1 FTE, the mayor only, with no dedicated mayoral staff.
Greenfield is over 11,000 residents larger than Superior and spends about $136,458 less on mayor office costs.
That’s not lean government. That’s government on black coffee and a folding chair.
Muskego: Smaller City, Cheaper Office
Muskego has 25,032 people, close to Superior’s size, and a $212,744 budget for 2 FTE. The document says Muskego’s 2026 department was renamed Mayor / Human Resources, meaning that budget combines mayor and HR functions.
“Read that one again.”
Muskego combines mayor and HR in one department and still spends about $99,424 less than Superior.
Superior’s mayor’s office apparently looked at “combined functions” and said, “Cute. We’ll take the solo luxury package.”
Meanwhile, Actual Workers Still Live On Earth
Teachers buy classroom supplies like they’re funding NASA with a Kohl’s coupon.
City workers plow snow, patch roads, answer phones, fix pipes, handle permits, process paperwork, and keep the place from turning into Escape from New York: Lake Superior Edition.
“Those people earn their pay.”
But leadership spending deserves scrutiny when Mayor Jim’s office rises 16.90% in one year and lands at $312,168 for the same two positions.
That is not a paperclip budget.
That is a municipal hot tub with a flagpole.
Final Crossing Signal
Superior’s mayor’s office costs $312,168.
For 2 people.
In a city of 26,751.
That is $11.67 per resident, higher than Manitowoc, Neenah, Wausau, Greenfield, and Muskego.
So the next time City Hall talks about “budgets,” remember the math: regular workers get lectures, taxpayers just get the invoices, and Mayor Jim’s office gets the premium civic buffet.
Mic drop: Superior does not have a mayor’s office. It has a Paine payment plan.
FOIA Friday: “Mayor Jim’s Tax-Payer Funded Campaign Aide ?—Plus an HR Hook-Up for Cousin Eddie”
City Hall’s HR rewrite sparks nepotism fears, election-year questions, and taxpayer outrage over a campaign-style aide.
Monday Meme Drops: Lock the Clock, Save Bucks!
Superior PD’s punch-clock scandal exposed: 1,180 retro-edits, ghost shifts, and a possible $41K hit to taxpayers.
FOIA Friday: 1,180 “Retro-Punches” — Superior’s Time-Card Circus!
PowerTime retro-punches may be skewing hours, hiding overtime, and burning taxpayer dollars.
SPD Decoder Ring: Leadership Swaps That Lawyers Love
Federal court meets SPD turnover: a timeline decoder for promotions, retirements, and who was in charge when it happened.
FEDERAL COURT : LeRette Duty Return – DA Fruehauf Warning
Email reveals Officer LeRette returned to duty amid unresolved internal review, raising prosecutor disclosure concerns.
