The community of Golden City, Colorado announced this week that Oro Valley’s Town Manager is heading for higher ground to interview for the opportunity to replace current City Manager, Mike Bestor. Bestor is retiring after 22 years and City Council’s search for a new City Manager is proceeding right on schedule.
The Golden City community is invited to meet the City Manager candidates from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 19 at the Golden Community Center, 1470 10th St.
The names of the top five candidates for the City Manager position were announced at the City Council meeting on Thursday, June 11.
Here are the candidates in alphabetical order:
Town Manager Greg Caton – Town of Oro Valley, Arizona (population 41,000)
City Manager Shane Hale – City of Cortez, Colorado (population 8,482)
Asst. City Manager Randy Ready – City of Aspen, Colorado (population 5,000)
City Manager Michael Redlinger – City of Moorhead, Minnesota (population 38,065)
Village Manager Jason Slowinski – Village of Lake Zurich, Illinois (population 20,000)
This is a big role to fill and input from the community will be very important to the hiring process. We encourage you to attend the meet and greet, hear from each candidate, interact, and write down your impressions. Citizen feedback will be given to City Council, who will ultimately make the hiring decision.
Caton has come under fire due to the recent purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club by the Town of Oro Valley. The purchase has prompted a recall of three members of the Town Council.
“Bestor said he will stay on as city manager until a replacement is found. He has been the city manager for 21 years,” according to the Golden Transcript.
“I wish Mr. Caton the best of luck in securing this new position in the Rockies. I assume he’ll find the cooler climate a refreshing change from the Sonoran Desert at this time of year,” said Oro Valley resident Shirl Lamonna. Lamonna and fellow resident Debra Arrett led the effort to have the country club purchase go before the voters in a referendum. While the duo secured enough valid signatures on petitions for the referendum, the Town rejected the petitions on a technicality.
The matter went before the courts, and in February, in response to a sworn affidavit filed with the Arizona Court of Appeals, Oro Valley Town Council member Mike Zinkin accused Caton of misrepresenting material facts about the purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club. Caton’s affidavit was filed in opposition to a stay of a lower court ruling for the Town sought by Arrett, and Lamonna.
“It came as no surprise that Greg Caton was looking for a different job. He is in a tough spot in Oro Valley. If the Majority 4 lose just one seat in November, his job security is at risk. If they maintain their majority, he could be the “fall guy” when the operating losses and cost of capital improvements result in a sea of red ink. As approved by Mayor Hiremath, Vice Mayor Lou Waters and Council members Joe Hornat and Mary Snider, Mr. Caton’s signature is on all the contracts – not theirs,” stated Arrett.
Dr. Ryan Hartung, leader of the recall efforts and candidate for one of the three recalled Council seats stated, “I do not fault Mr. Caton for his role in the El Conquistador’s acquisition. The purchase went through on a 4-3 vote of the Town Council under dubious circumstances. He was simply following his marching orders from the Mayor. Unfortunately, now only a mere six months after the El Con’s purchase, Mr. Caton has predicted its losses for this fiscal year alone will likely top $1.5 million. This does not include ongoing capital improvements. I would feel sorry if Mr. Caton was to take the fall for a poor decision by the Council majority, as the El Con’s purchase ultimately rests with them.”
Related articles:
Oro Valley Town Manager accused of misrepresenting El Conquistador purchase
Residents appeal Oro Valley El Conquistador purchase referendum decision
Judge rules on Oro Valley El Conquistador purchase referendum
Residents appeal Oro Valley El Conquistador purchase referendum decision
