February 8, 2024

The Cottonwood City Council appointed an Interim City Manager and a temporary legal services firm at their Tuesday meeting; following the resignations of the City Manager and Attorney in January.

The City had announced, following the resignations, that Deputy City Manager Rudy Rodriguez would serve in the interim position, but Councilmembers Lisa DuVernay and Michael Mathews noted that that appointment should have been approved by the City Council, per the City Code.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Rodriguez declined to interview for the interim position, and after considering two other current city employees, the council appointed Natural Resources and Utility Director Tom Whitmer as Interim City Manager.

The council will consider multiple hiring firms to help them find a permanent City Manager; and they also voted 4-3 to enter an agreement with the law firm of Gust Rosenfeld to perform legal services for the City, as they continue their search for a new City Attorney.

Josh Freeman | KAZM News Director | josh@mellowmountainradio.com