A city council agreed to give a city manager a guaranteed 3-year contract and explain their reasoning for doing so. A city manager who was terminated after her failed “union busting” effort is garnering kudos and praise in her new community. A Tennessee council is ‘embarrassed’ and frustrated over their first attempt to find a new city manager — so they are starting over and hoping to get it right this time. In Texas, it looks like a city manager is headed for the unemployment line after the council suspends his budget recommendations.
All that and more news after the job postings.
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
Other
IL: Decatur - Director of Finance (4/5/2024) | in-house
IL: Village of St. Joseph - Public Works Director (Until Filled) | in-house
KS: Osage County - County Controller (4/14/2026) | Bird Dog Consulting
NM: Ruidoso - Economic Development Director (5/6/2026) | Clear Career
NM: Ruidoso - Finance Director (5/6/2026) | Clear Career
NM: Ruidoso - Water Resource Director (5/6/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Dumas - Finance Director (5/6/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Lufkin - City Engineer (3/30/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Marble Falls - Finance Director (Until Filled) | Clear Career
TX: Odessa - Assistant City Attorney (5/10/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Odessa - Chief Financial Officer (5/8/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Weatherford - Assistant Director of Water Utilities (Until Filled) | Clear Career
TX: Wichita Falls - Chief Building Official (4/29/2026) | Clear Career
AR: Hot Springs city manager signs professional athlete-like 3-year contract
Hot Springs amended the city manager’s contract to remove the indefinite term and install a 3-year contract with a MINIMUM twelve month severance clause.
The one year of severance in Bill Burrough's original contracts was amended to align with the new terms of service. If terminated without cause, they would be entitled to a lump sum payment equal to the compensation they would have received had they completed the three-year term.
The organization is expecting significant turnover in the near term in senior positions and the council wants potential replacements to feel confident that their executive leadership is stable and will be there long term.
TN: Embarrassed': Greeneville council changing direction in search for city manager
Greeneville Mayor Cal Doty is unhappy with the candidate pool and process put together by the University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). He either wants MTAS to do it over again — but differently, or to hire a recruitment firm.
“I’m not sure why you’d expect to pay $30,000 and get a different outcome,” Council member Tim Teague told Doty. “I don’t understand that.”
Council member Ginny Kidwell said, “I think we didn’t just embarrass ourselves, we embarrassed some of those candidates, too, so I think we need to be accountable a little bit for that…”
CA: Hollister City Manager Ana Cortez Receives Glowing Praise
Even though I have always been complimentary of Hollister City Manager Ana Cortez, she is not my biggest fan — having taken a run at me in a LinkedIn post she published a while back. Regardless, I try to call balls and strikes fairly and have no problem posting something positive about a detractor.
Earlier this week, I told you that I love ornery city managers with some edginess and sharp elbows. Ana Cortez falls into this category, in my opinion. You may recall that she resigned after losing a battle with the local bargaining units in Carnation, Washington.
Anyway, she received glowing praise in a recent Q&A session with the local media. It illustrates how much a proactive executive can accomplish.
News Around the Country
CA: Costa Mesa rejects new code of ethics, called for after city manager’s controversial firing
CA: The SacBee continues its stalker campaign against Ex-Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan
CA: ‘A countdown to failure’: Independent review blasts bloated staff, misspending at San Diego City Hall
CT: Danbury mayor pushing for hiring of non-citizens as police officers
DE: Update: Dover city council fires city manager after tense public hearing
DE: Acting Greenwood town manager Rhiannon Slater slated to become permanent manager
GA: Ball Ground City Council unanimously voted to promote Assistant City Manager Palmer Rogers to the role of city manager, effective July 1
GA: No joke — Lawrenceville honors city manager’s 10 years of service on April Fool’s Day
IL: City Clerk Kasey Mitchell to become Kewanee’s first female city manager
KS: Future Riley County administrator needs to be more than a department head says former legislator pushing for the creation of the position
MA: The 400-Year Experiment: Can the New England Town Meeting Survive the 21st Century?
MN: Hanover’s Jennifer Nash leaving to lead St. Augusta
NC: [From the Do Not Do This Files] Spring Hope unanimously approves Jonathan Allen’s town manager contract two weeks after he started work
NE: The Sidney City Council has formally offered the City Manager position to ACM Josh Hanson
NY: Penny shortage creates problem at Ogdensburg City Hall
OH: Cincinnati police chief pleads her case before city manager in hearing; her family continues its public campaign against “arch nemesis” city manager they call the “director of this disgusting and mythical narrative process”
PA: New Britain remains mum on vote to separate from township manager after two years
TN: Tennessee Comptroller: Ex-Tellico Plains water manager used town resources for personal business
TX: Pleasanton City Council suspends city manager's budget recommendations - a precursor for termination?
WA: Burien City Council puts City Manager Adolfo Bailon on paid administrative leave after executive session
WA: McCleary taps CEO of Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. to be their city administrator
WA: Mayor says Ruston is 2 years from going broke. Controversial eye-sore development may be the only solution…
Mayor-Council vs Council Manager Discussions
MA: Local columnist points to Christmas decorations still being up (along with other arguments) as to why it is time for Attleboro to ditch the strong mayor and hire a city manager
NY: Newburgh councilwoman says city manager form of governing is not working
Recent City Manager Unfiltered Podcast Episodes
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