Murrieta City Manager Ron Bradley may stay on past July 31

By: BRIAN ECKHOUSE - Staff Writer | Friday, July 13, 2007 10:03 PM PDT ∞

MURRIETA ---- If most of the City Council members have their way, Murrieta won't be saying goodbye to interim City Manager Ron Bradley on July 31 after all.

Mayor Doug McAllister said he has not personally accepted Bradley's letter of resignation, signed July 2.

"I don't want him to leave," McAllister said. "I want him to stay on at least to help pick the permanent manager."

McAllister has been lobbying Bradley to remain at the helm until the council has selected a new boss. The council members expect to hire a recruitment firm Tuesday night to handle that search, and hope to choose a new city manager in October.

Bradley said earlier this week that he is reconsidering his decision to leave and anticipates he will have an answer sometime next week.

"I've been flattered because the council has approached me about staying on until we finish the other projects," said Bradley, 68, who was hired out of retirement to replace Lori Moss.

Since taking the interim post in late January, Bradley has completed the bulk of the assignments piled on his desk.

Under his direction, the city has replaced the city attorney with a larger firm that can more readily handle Murrieta's increasingly complex legal issues. Bradley also streamlined the management hierarchy at City Hall, and is bringing in a new public works director.

"Ron's done some pretty awesome things for the city in the last five months and a couple of weeks," said Councilman Rick Gibbs.

But the council also hired Bradley to help find Murrieta's next city manager. The members last week excused Bradley from completing that task, noting they would be the ones making the final selection.

But now, their views ---- publicly, at least ---- have changed.

"I believe it's important he finish the job we hired him to do," said Councilman Gary Thomasian.

If Bradley leaves without a new city manager having been selected, Murrieta could "lose some of the momentum that Ron got going," said Councilwoman Kelly Bennett. "I don't want to lose some of the ground he's built."

Bradley's $25,000-per-month contract was to expire July 31, but he had previously indicated he'd probably stay on beyond that date, and possibly into December.

The scuttlebutt among City Hall gadflies has been that Bradley's surprising announcement July 2 was prompted by a dispute with Gibbs over a personnel matter. Bradley rejected the speculation, noting that he and the council members have been flexible with each other.

"This council has been an exceptionally good group of individuals to work with," he said. "There are, however, some areas in which we are naturally going to disagree."

But he insisted that no personal or philosophical issue with any member of the council figured into his initial decision to move on.

Unlike his colleagues, Gibbs is not lobbying Bradley to stay on because, the councilman said, the interim city manager's retirement package limits how long he can remain. If Bradley does not leave at the end of this month, he probably could only stay on for two or three more months, Gibbs said.

Gibbs also disputed the rumors of any rift with Bradley.

"We have an excellent rapport," Gibbs said. "We don't necessarily agree with each other 100 percent of the time. From Day 1, we have had a very open and honest form of communication. We agreed that each of us would be honest and pull no punches ... and we have done that."

If Bradley ultimately decides to leave July 31, the council is expected to tap Deputy City Manager Jim Holston to serve as an interim boss until a new chief is hired. Holston would still oversee the community service, engineering and planning departments. Such a heavy workload troubles Thomasian.

"Jim would be able to step in because he has the knowledge of the city," Thomasian said. "But to put (finding a new) city manager on his shoulders would be unfair. There's too much happening in the city."

Bradley, who recommended Holston for the interim position, doesn't dispute Thomasian's view.

"That's probably true," Bradley said. "It'll be difficult for Jim because he'll be spread so thin."

Regardless of when Bradley departs the city manager's office, he could still work on a contractual basis for the city. Gibbs and others have proposed that he stay on as a consultant.

Contact staff writer Brian Eckhouse at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or beckhouse@californian.com.

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