Interim city manager search underway

With City Manager Brenda Fischer ready to take the top staffing position in Glendale, the Maricopa city council has begun the process to temporarily fill her seat before conducting a search for a new permanent city manager.

Mayor Christian Price said the council conducted interviews Tuesday for an interim city manager in a closed meeting at City Hall. While Price could not discuss specific details, he said it is possible the interim could be a current employee of the city or someone from outside the community. 

“I think we want to keep all our options open,” he said. 

When former Maricopa City Manager Kevin Evans left his post in January 2011, City Clerk Vanessa Bueras stepped into the role prior to the council hiring Fischer that spring. 

Price said approval of the interim city manager could appear on Tuesday’s city council meeting agenda. Fischer is scheduled to finish her duties with Maricopa July 18 and start her new job in Glendale July 22. 

Following the appointment of an interim city manager, Price said the council will begin a nationwide search for candidates. The council likely will hire an outside group to conduct the search – common practice among cities, including Maricopa, when hiring top level staffers. 

“It’s always possible and plausible the interim would want the job,” Price said. “But it just depends on that person and really, for council, it depends on how they play out and how the interviews go with other people that are out there.”