New city manager named

For the first time since 2018, Maricopa has a new city manager.

The city council voted unanimously in a special meeting this evening to hire Deputy City Manager and Chief Product Officer Benjamin Bitter to replace Rick Horst in that role.

Horst announced in September he would step down and take on a new role as chief strategy officer in July. Bitter will take his place July 1.

“I am honored that the city council chose to negotiate a contract with me to become the next city manager, from such an incredibly talented pool of professionals,” he told InMaricopa yesterday.

Bitter beat out two internal candidates for the job — Assistant City Manager Jennifer Brown and Deputy City Manager Matthew Kozlowski.

“Since I first started working in Maricopa, I have developed a deep love for this community,” Bitter tells us. “I am committed to seeing its continued success for many years to come.”

Bitter’s starting contract as top dog in city hall lasts three years. The full contract is available on the city website.

Bitter joined city staff in 2021 when he was hired as a director of engineering and capital improvement plan development before he was promoted to deputy city manager.

Currently, he oversees field operations, specifically the development services and public works departments.

In his resume, Bitter lists infrastructure projects as one of his career highlights with the city. This includes “oversight of over $128 million of capital projects in a single fiscal year, including the building of new highways, streets, bridges, a police department building, a city court and beautification efforts across the city.”

Bitter used to work as an assistant town manager in Florence from 2018 to 2021 and as a city manager in Ashland, Ky., for three years starting in 2013.