By Shereen Siewert

Wausau Police Chief Ben Bliven and Fire Chief Robert Barteck are both leaving their positions, prompting a special meeting Friday to appoint interim leaders for both agencies.

Both men announced their decision Monday during a meeting of the Police and Fire Commission. Bliven is resigning his role, while Barteck is retiring at the end of the year.

The Police and Fire Commission will enter closed session to make those appointments and deliberate on the hiring process for permanent appointments, according to a city agenda. The group will then reconvene and take potential action.

Bliven on Monday said he will take a job at a local company. His last day will be Sept. 1.

“This has been a great career,” he said, while thanking the Police and Fire Commission for their work during his tenure. “We have an outstanding police department.”

Barteck will retire Dec. 15. He spoke Monday about the pride he has in the work and in the support of the staff, as well as his family.

“I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to work for the city of Wausau,” he said Monday.

Bliven worked as a reserve deputy with the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department while finishing his degree in criminal justice.  He was hired on with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office in June 1999. In March of 2000, he was hired by the Wausau Police Department as a patrol officer and in 2005 joined the Marathon County Special Investigations Unit, a joint task force of the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department and the Wausau Police Department.  He later earned a master’s degree in human resource training and development and attended training at the FBI National Academy in 2017, according to city information.

In Wausau, he moved up the ranks and was named deputy chief in 2017 under former Chief Jeff Hardel. He has held the role of chief since 2018.

Barteck was named fire chief in June 2021, two years after coming to the Wausau Fire Department as deputy chief in 2019 under Chief Tracey Kujawa, who retired in April. He worked for the Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department for more than 25 years, working his way from firefighter to deputy chief before moving to Wausau.

Wausau Pilot & Review reached out to both Bliven and Barteck for comment and will update this story when remarks are received.