Upland resident Rick Gomez, 41, has been appointed to the position of deputy City Manager and Development Services Director. Gomez has worked for 18 years in municipal government for Rancho Cucamonga, Lewis Homes of California and FORMA, a planning consulting firm.
William Kelly has been appointed Arcadia City Manager after holding the Acting City Manager position for 7 months following the resignation of Donald Duckworth. Kelly began working for the city as a community development director in November, 1993.
William Kelly, with 22 years of city government experience in Burbank, Brea, Baldwin Park and San Bruno, has been hired as Arcadia's first community development director and assistant to the city manager. This new position replaces the planning director job that had been vacant for several months.
The former city manager of Visalia has unanimously been selected to serve as the new Arcadia City Manager. Donald Duckworth will be officially sworn in at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
James Domney, 49, is leaving his position as City Librarian after 11 years in this position and 18 years with the library. Kent Ross, 45, who started at the library at about the same time as Domney, was recently appointed as the new City Librarian.
William Woolard, 50, Arcadia Planning Director for 22 years, resigned at the recommendation of City Manager Don Duckworth and a 4-1 City Council vote, with Robert Harbicht opposed. Woolard was asked to leave because of departmental reorganization, Duckworth said.
City Manager Donald Duckworth's surprise resignation came after a closed session of a City Council meeting. He said he was no longer able to carry out the council's policies.
Mayor George Fasching blasted a group of nine former mayors for distributing an open letter that accused the new City Council of breaking the law by asking City Manager George Watts to resign.
Shortly before the city cut $400,000 in salaries and programs to help close a nearly $1 million budget shortfall, the city's managers and supervisors asked the City Council to consider giving them what they termed long-overdue raises.
111 City Hall employees may earn an extra $50-110 a month by walking, bicycling, carpooling, or using public transportation to work. The City Council approved the plan to satisfy South Coast Air Quality Management District regulations requiring worksites to provide incentives to employees who reduce vehicle trips to work.
127 city employees have agreed to postpone their salary increases for 6 months to help close the city's projected $2.2 million shortfall. This action would save the city $466,000.