Jeremy Germann interviewed for city administrator jobs in a number of communities, but when he got to Wells, he had to admit he was impressed.

“What was most attractive about Wells was that the council and mayor had a plan,” he said. “The city government is well-organized. It’s just a wonderful community.”

Germann, 28, began his job as the Wells city administrator in October.

A native of Aberdeen, Ohio, he earned his bachelor’s degree in specialized studies from Ohio University in Athens. Then he worked a number of jobs, including as a managing editor of a newspaper. He got his master’s degree from Northern Kentucky University and went to work as a community economic development volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps.

Working in public service for the Peace Corps was something he always wanted to do, he said.

Germann and his wife, Aimee, worked in a city of 30,000 people outside Bucharest, Romania. Both worked with nonprofit organizations to help re-train workers from the Communist regime.

“It was very rewarding,” Germann said of the experience.

But it was also very different from what he had expected. “Each country is completely different,” Germann said. “Eastern Europe is modernized, so it’s not the same as going to the sub-Sahara Desert.”

He explained that instead of building schools, his Peace Corps work was not readily visible.

Some of the people with whom he worked were reluctant to change. “Others really looked forward to change,” he said.

“Some embraced Western culture. For others, there were certain parts of socialism they wanted to keep,” Germann said.

He was there for about a year, and because he had gotten ill, returned home.

“Then I was fortunate enough to get a job as the village administrator in my hometown,” he said.

Since coming to Wells, he’s found everyone to be “wonderful.”

As city administrator, Germann said his job is to make sure the city has what it needs to work as efficiently as possible. “My role is also to make sure that the mayor and council have what they need to make informed decisions,” he added.

With the economy the way it is, all cities — including Wells — are facing challenges.

But at the same time, the community is very lucky to have things like a theater, golf course, airport and swimming pool, he said. It shows the community has had good leadership in the past and makes his job much more interesting.

“To start from scratch in trying to build some of these things would take forever,” he said. “To have it here already is amazing.”

Again, he credits the city’s staff and leadership.

“They’re the reason things are working so well,” Germann said.

When he’s not working, he said his interests are still related to the job. For example, he’s been learning about production reels at the Flame Theatre in his off hours.

“I like to get an understanding of how things work,” he said.