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Cathedral City honors City Manager Charlie McClendon as he retires after 11 years
Summary
Cathedral City council and staff held a tribute during the Sept. 10 council meeting marking City Manager Charlie McClendon’s retirement after roughly 11 years; colleagues praised his leadership, and council approved consent items that included the interim city manager employment agreement.
Cathedral City marked the upcoming retirement of City Manager Charlie McClendon during its Sept. 10 regular meeting, with staff, council members and local residents offering tributes and a video honoring his 11 years with the city.
At the council meeting, colleagues highlighted McClendon’s role in expanding city services, building the pavement management program and supporting economic development. City employees and community representatives described him as personable and engaged, citing his habit of greeting staff by name each morning and his role in restoring the city’s fund balance. “It’s been great and the things we’ve accomplished together, I will always remember,” McClendon said in brief remarks after the tribute.
The tribute included a staff-produced video and multiple speakers from city departments and community groups. Council members and previous elected officials emphasized McClendon’s steady leadership through events they cited such as pandemic-era budget cuts, civil unrest and a tropical storm the city responded to during his tenure. Mayor Nancy Ross and Mayor Pro Tem Raymond Gregory each spoke, praising McClendon’s management style and the institutional continuity he leaves behind.
McClendon told the council that his role was to implement council policy and that he had confidence in the staff who will continue the city’s work after his departure. He noted the council would appoint an interim city manager—Council materials and the consent agenda that followed included an employment agreement for Anne Ambrose as interim city manager, which the council approved as part of the consent agenda.
The retirement tribute was a ceremonial item on the agenda; no policy decisions were taken as part of the presentation. The meeting proceeded to routine business and several formal actions covered elsewhere on the agenda.
