Mayor, council and residents debate interim city manager hire and social-media leaks at town hall

The mayor opened a town-hall special meeting on April 23 to address rising tensions over the appointment of an interim city manager and reports that personnel information was shared online. The mayor said her role is "to maintain a position that is both neutral and supportive" and asked residents to bring concerns to city hall rather than social media.

Councilor Jesse Geddes described the council's hiring steps and defended the process, saying the council "interviewed" all applicants and voted to authorize the mayor to negotiate a contract with a candidate after a public recruitment and interview phase. Residents called for stronger safeguards after a name that some said should have remained confidential appeared online; several speakers urged the council to prevent future leaks.

The meeting included repeated requests that the council explain who has hiring authority. A resident asked whether any councilor could hire a city employee; the mayor and other speakers clarified that hiring authority is exercised by the city manager, not individual council members. Jesse Geddes urged the community to focus on priorities such as budget and personnel rather than personal attacks, saying the council aimed to follow a transparent recruitment process.

Next steps: councilors said they will develop a candidate profile, solicit community input on desired qualifications and move forward with a public recruitment process that could include finalists' meet-and-greets and an executive-session interview before a final hiring decision.