City’s first manager continues career in municipal government

Rick Buss was Maricopa’s first city manager when it incorporated in 2003.

He served in that capacity until 2007, when he requested and was granted a demotion to take over the assistant city manager position for the city of Maricopa.

Not long after his demotion, a complaint was filed by a former receptionist in the Parks, Recreation and Libraries Department that Buss and his IT Manager Richard Terrell were illegally recording conversations. What ensued was a 13-month investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which led them to recommend charges for interception of electronic communication, a Class 5 felony.

Buss was given an $80,000 severance package from the city upon his resignation, and no formal charges were ever levied against Buss.

He accepted a job as the town manager of Gila Bend in October 2008, when the Gila Bend City Council voted 4-2 to hire Buss as the new city manager.

He worked in that capacity for almost six years, until August when he accepted a position as the assistant city manager for the city of Surprise.

In Buss’s almost six years as town manager in Gila Bend, he established the town as a hotbed for solar energy plants.

He oversaw the opening of three utility-scale solar plants, a carbon-regeneration facility and a 400-acre Arizona Public Service Co. solar facility.

Under Buss’s tenure in Maricopa, the city established a city staff and a police department among other things.