Today, February 17, 2015 at 12:30 PM the Glendale City Council met and voted immediately to go into Executive Session. They returned from executive session at about 1:45 PM. There were two agenda items: the formal acceptance of City Manager Brenda Fischer’s resignation and appointment of an Interim City Manager.
I am pleased to report that the city council voted unanimously to accept Fischer’s resignation effective April 3, 2015. From February 17, 2015 (today) through April 3, 2015 she will be available as a consultant. Her consultancy services would be presented as a separate contract. Fischer leaves with a sweet severance package: an additional 9 months of salary in an amount of $152,981.00; no payout for accrued vacation and sick time; $2,200 for ?? (sorry, took notes fast and couldn’t catch what this was for); and she is released from any legal claims arising against the city during her tenure. If this is what it took, so be it.
The second item was the appointment of an Interim City Manager. I am pleased to report that Dick Bowers, former Scottsdale City Manager who assumed this role previously during the last search for a city manager, was approved on a 4-3 vote with Sherwood, Chavira and Aldama voting ‘no’. Wonder who Sherwood was advocating for? Could it have been Frisoni? Mr. Bowers has a wealth of experience and had proven that he will manage the day-to-day administrative affairs of the city without malice and will do no harm. Mr. Bowers facilitated many special city council affairs previously and I have always been impressed with his intelligence and professionalism. Thank you, city council, for doing the right thing.
The city council’s heavy lifting has just begun. Now it’s time for a search – hopefully a nationwide search for a new city manager. I wish them well. We, the public, will be watching.
© Joyce Clark, 2015
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Good riddance. If the city is truly going to start over, then Frisoni and Watters need to go as well. They ran “interference” for Fischer and took part in some childish threats as well as playing “telephone tough guy” against those who opposed her. It really is time for this kind of bullying BS to stop. It has been going on for way too long on the 4th floor at City Hall. You can be a successful leader without threatening and bullying people. City administration forgot that years ago…time to get it back.
How much do want to bet that Sherwood brings up Frisoni’s name for the City Manager position.
I am going to guess that the golden parachute Fischer received from the city, that her resignation wasn’t voluntary, and I think that length of severance was excessive considering she hadn’t been on the job all that long. For that money they should have said she was fired.
It is interesting on who voted not to appoint Dick Bower? Just curious, is Councilmember Sherwood not married? He seems to gravitate to women as managers. He selects for wrong reason it seems.
Joyce:
I wrote a comment in your other blog (Brenda Fischer…going, going, gone) concerning her being recognized at the 14th Annual Women in Business event which is happening on Monday, March 30th.
In view of the fact that she will officially no longer be the Glendale City Manager on Friday, April 3rd, isn’t accepting that “prestigious award” going to be a little, um, “awkward”?
hmmmm, what will her “acceptance speech” be like?
btw, I, too, think that severance package is mighty sweet for someone who was on the job less than 2 years!
Where do I sign up? (or do I have to be G. Sherwood’s bff to be considered for that job? 😉 )
Plan on being Sherwood’s BFF 🙂
I live in Sahuaro District and it is interesting to note: In Sherwood’s Weekly Update dated 2/6/2015 he mentions nothing about the upcoming Commission Meetings re the relocation of the Foothills Library scheduled for 2/9 – 2/11 and 2/12 – even though it affects his Sahuaro District. We thankfully did hear from Councilmember Tolmachoff [Cholla District] on 2/5/ 2015 with the meeting dates so that we could attend if we were interested. To make matters worse, in his 2/13/25 Weekly Update Councilman Sherwood spent a total of 41 typewritten lines giving former City Manager Brenda Fischer accolades and telling us how wonderful she has been for Glendale, while making a small note – 7 lines at the bottom after his signature to let us know how the public was invited to 3 public meetings to address the proposed sale and relocation of the Foothills Library [the Foothills Library has been addressed in your previous blog]. What is wrong with this picture????? Don’t think I can be Sherwood’s BFF.
Connie. I live Suhauro also. Do you know if he has ever had any neighborhood meetings since 2012?
Sherwood is another zero as a Council member & many people have expressed that they want him recalled. It is time to clean house. It is embarrassing even living in Glendale. Frisoni was not qualified to be Assistant City Manager let alone City Manager. Glendale really would become a total laughing stock. Hopefully, with Dick Bowers as City Manager he could make recommendations of qualified City Managers that have integrity. Yet another mess. Clean it up Glendale because we will be watching on all fronts.
I know I need to move on and let it go but forgive me, I’m still choking on former City Manager Beasley’s golden parachute I feel he illegally orchestrated and here 18 months later the City is again stuck paying a large severance against a short time worked for another City Manager. Amazing the City can afford all these packages in light of all the other cutbacks. Must be easier to make those types of decisions when you’re spending other peoples money.