TUCSON CITY MGR LETCHER'S RESIGNATION LETTER

posted by Michael Chihak

From City Manager Mike Letcher's letter to mayor and City Council today:

"Unfortunately, I cannot change the current political and media climate in this community that focus more on blame than resolution. I know now that I can only go so far in changing the organizational climate of the city that has not seen consistent City Management since Joel Valdez. I know that I will continue to find problems to fix that expose the city to public criticism. Based on these facts I am submitting my resignation as City Manager effective August 31, 2012. This will allow me to complete one more budget cycle and for the new Mayor and Council to start a thoughtful recruitment process to select the next City Manager.

"During the search process and the final months of my service in 2012, I will work with Mayor and Council to: implement the adopted plan for lifting furloughs, fulfill the final year of the current budget and finalizing the budget for FY 2013. I am committed to holding our bond ratings and establishing a firm foundation to maintain core services within acceptable budgetary resources in my work on the budget for next fiscal year."

Read Letcher's full letter here.

MARY DECAMP SHAKES UP CAMPAIGN STAFF

posted by Andrea Kelly

Mary DeCamp won the Green Party's primary in the mayoral race last week, and now she has a new campaign manager.

DeCamp announced she is replacing her primary campaign manager, Mike Cease, for the general election race. In his place will be Dave Croteau, DeCamp's opponent in the primary. She took in 70 percent of the votes cast in the party's mayoral primary race.

The Greens insisted their primary election competition was friendly, and DeCamp keeps that tone in announcing the staff changes.

DeCamp was happy with Cease's work and it was Cease who suggested Croteau come on as campaign manager for the general election, according to a news release announcing the changes.

“We are growing a co-evolution that brings people together; we’re not following ‘status quo politics’ of knee-capping one’s opponent,” DeCamp said in a statement in the news release.