In Kansas, the Abilene city manager has had enough with the bullying and unprofessional conduct he has been subjected to by one of his commissioners.
In Texas, a newspaper misleads its readers with fake news while criticizing a city manager for allegedly misleading the public.
In Montana, a Navy veteran transitioning into local government is tapped to become a city manager in a recruitment conducted by Michael Boese, MPA and Clear Career Professionals.
All that and more in this week's news roundup.
KS: Abilene City Manager Ron Marsh Rebukes Commissioner for Repeated Lies, Bullying, and Unprofessional Treatment
Abilene City Commissioner John Kollhoff has repeatedly engaged in deceitful and dishonest behavior in his pathetic bid to hound city manager Ron Marsh, CPM out of his job.
Last week, Marsh issued a public statement rebuking Kollhoff stating:
What we tolerate, we will accept. What we accept, we will normalize. What we normalize, we will pass on. For too long, I have tolerated the bullying, unprofessionalism, immaturity, misleading statements, outright lies and, most importantly, the lack of integrity and character of one Commissioner John Kollhoff.
By tolerating this behavior, it has become acceptable for him to continue to do it. Now that it is acceptable by myself and others, it has become normal. Part of every meeting, part of every conversation and it is expected. And because it has been normalized, it is destined to be passed on to other governing bodies and city staffs.
They will know no different because we, you and I, started out by tolerating it. It is time to end tolerating the misbehavior of one that potentially affects so many. What we tolerate, we accept, and we have tolerated this individual for far too long. Galatians 5:9 says a little leaven – i.e. errors and lies – leavens the whole batch – perverts and misleads. This is where we find ourselves, having tolerated to the point of normalizing the perverse and unprofessional behavior that is spreading throughout the city. Thank you.
TX: Newspaper misleads readers while accusing Killeen city manager of being "misleading"
In a headline accusing Killeen city manager Kent Cagle of making "misleading" statements about charges for open records - the newspaper in fact mislead its readers.
Cagle argued that the fees charged by Killeen were set by state law.
“Those prices are set by the state of Texas. We charge what the state of Texas charges and allows us to charge, and we don’t have any separate exorbitant fees for anyone else,” Cagle said.
The newspaper, through an expert on Sunshine Laws, blasted Cagle by suggesting he was being deceptive with that headline. Cagle's offense?
Apparently, they don't appreciate or accept the city's estimates on the amount of staff time it takes to process complaints.
But instead of articulating a case or presenting any evidence that Killeen is inflating staff time -- they opted to smear the manager.
Let's Talk About My Arrest & Night in Jail...
Last week on the City Manager Unfiltered Podcast, I discussed the events surrounding my arrest on felony charges related to my activities as an assistant county administrator in Florida.
In that episode, Theo Melancon, JD, MPA, ICMA-CM interviewed me and we talked about our experience of being charged with crimes we did not commit. His charges were dismissed while I am still in the process of clearing my name.
This week, we continue our discussion with each of us talking about our experience in jail. You can catch both episodes at this link or on all major podcasting platforms.
News Around the Country...and Canada
CA: Livingston to rehire Jose Ramirez as city manager - who was previously fired in 2021
FL: Palm Beach County won't do national search for top administrator job, hoping for local hire
IA: Waukon city employees unanimously vote “no confidence” in city manager
ME: Presque Isle city manager resigns for 2nd time in a year
MT: Columbia Falls taps distinguished Navy veteran as new city manager
NC: Avery County Manager Phillip Barrier recovering from accident, eager to return to office
NC: Mecklenburg County’s first woman manager reflects on breaking barriers
OH: Less than three months on the job, Cleveland Heights City Administrator Dan Horrigan resigns
CANADA: Former Baddeck chief administrator avoids jail time after pleading guilty to theft
Contract & Compensation News
AL: Dothan's Morris to receive $225k+ in city manager deal
FL: Palm Beach County may pay next manager $460,000
CA: New Encinitas city manager to receive a $309,000 base salary plus $20,000 annual contribution to retirement plan
NH: Town administrator’s $105,000 salary raises questions at Greenfield Town Meeting
Job Board Postings
It is free to post all of your senior and executive level recruitments over at the AAME job board. If you would like to include them in this newsletter, select the $199 option.
City/County Manager Recruitments
MI: Albion - Chief Administrative Officer (Until Filled) | Pivot Group
SC: North Myrtle Beach - City Manager (4/4/2025) | CB-Assoc
TX: Abernathy - City Manager (3/7/2025) | Clear Career
TX: Kingsville - City Manager (3/21/2025) | Clear Career
TX: Merkel - City Manager (4/7/2025) | Clear Career
TX: Odessa - City Manager (Until Filled ) | in-house
Finance/Budgeting
FL: Daytona Beach - Auditor (Until Filled) | CB-Assoc
Recent City Manager Unfiltered Podcast Episodes
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