City Manager Headlines | 4-9-2024
PA: Akron Borough manager, assistant manager settling into new roles after job swap
I think this is the best succession plan I have ever seen put into motion and executed. Must read article.
MI: Former administrator Gibbs sues Ottawa County board, chair
The John Gibbs vs. Ottawa County saga continues. You can read his 41-page filing here.
MO: Jackson County administrator says phishing email led to ransomware attack this week
Disaster avoided in Jackson County thanks to proactive efforts on the part of Jackson County Administrator Troy Shulte and his team.
An employee clicked on a phishing email which generated a ransomware attack. Some offices are temporarily “down” but no major damage or lasting impact occurred. Shulte says the county avoided a major disaster thanks to a private IT company that was already working with Jackson County’s systems.
CO: Town of Keystone receives state grant to hire, pay, maintain new town manager
The recently-incorporated town of Keystone received a $351,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to hire and maintain a new town manager.
The grant will help pay for the town manager’s salary over the next three years, covering 75% of the costs in the first year, 50% in the second year and 25% in the third year as the new town builds revenue.
NC: After antisemitic ‘Zoom bombing,’ town of Matthews shuts down online speakers at meetings
“Matthews operated for the previous 141 years without Zoom, or without a written comment option, and during this time, no First Amendment right was violated,” Mayor Higdon said. “If you wanted to make a comment, you had to come to town hall and make your comment during our board meeting in person.”
KS: Bricks left at Lawrence commissioners’ homes leads to trespassing citations
A radical advocate for the homeless left bricks and disturbing messages on the porches of elected officials last week. The indvidual was cited for trespassing and released. One message read:
“We know you are violating your own law to displace and kill the homeless. We know that on April 15th you intend to change that law in order to cover up and justify your violations. We strongly advise you to end your abuses of the homeless, stop destroying their camps, and cease your plans to permanently displace and remove them from this city.”
CA: In Santa Ana, trust wanes after former City Manager’s resignation and $163,000 payout
The $163,000 payout was over and above the contractually required severance clause, probably because former City Manager Kristine Ridge had a solid claim against the mayor.
In previous reports, Ridge claimed the mayor “publicly mocked her because she could not speak Spanish, and suggested that her ethnicity rendered her unfit to hold a high-ranking post in the city. Ridge also said she was pressured to perform acts she considered illegal and beyond the scope of her role.”
OR: Oregon Ethics Commission investigates city council, mayor
Resident files complaint over city manager hiring and alleged violation of open meeting laws.
VA: Ex-Middletown town manager indicted on multiple counts of embezzlement
Former Middletown manager and treasurer Rebecca Louise Layman was indicted Thursday by a Frederick County grand jury on eight counts of embezzlement from the town. On Nov. 8, 2022, she was terminated for cause, according to Middletown Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV.
CA: Letter to the Editor – San Diego voters should rue the day they scrapped city manager form of government
The letter begins as follows:
“Twenty years ago, San Diego voters transferred the city manager responsibilities to the mayor. Since then, every budget and spending decision has been political rather than logical. The mayor appoints the department directors, often political cronies rather than experienced experts.”
