UPDATE: Glendale hires Maricopa city manager

The Glendale City Council voted Tuesday to start contract negotiations with Maricopa City Manager Brenda Fischer for its top staffing position.

She wrote on her Facebook: “I got the job!!! I’m the new City Manager for the City of Glendate AZ! I’m grateful and excited for my new venture yet sad to leave Maricopa and wonderful employeess, Council, and community! Maricopa has been awesome and will always be part of my heart. Glendale here I come…. 🙂”

The city narrowed its search for a new city manager to two candidates last month – including Fischer – but the other candidate withdrew. 

As the lone candidate left, it was unclear if Fischer would automatically be chosen for the job. But Glendale spokeswoman Julie Watters said the council decided to proceed with the hiring process. 

“The council’s direction was to move forward with this appointment of Ms. Fischer,” Watters said. 

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers said there was never a question whether Fischer was a “capable or qualified” candidate. 

“That’s never been the discussion at all,” Weiers said. 

The question at hand was whether the council was doing its due diligence by stopping the process and taking Fischer, or were residents better served by opening the hiring process back up to other candidates, he said. The council did extend the offer for a former candidate to come back into the pool, but Weiers said that candidate was no longer interested.

The council then decided to push forward with the appointment of Fischer, he said. 

During a closed meeting on Thursday, the Glendale council had scheduled an interview with “a candidate” for city manager. In an email sent to city staff last month, Fischer said she had a job interview scheduled for the same day. 

At Tuesday's meeting, the council appointed Fischer to the position and authorized city staff and an outside group that conducted the candidate search to negotiate an employment contract. 

Watters said Fischer could begin work as early as July 22.