Shuffle at City Hall Cuts Costs, Creates Job

The Glendora city administration was reorganized this week to reduce the payroll and create a new position, the head of economic development.

The City Council voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to create the new $80,676-a-year job combining the duties of deputy city manager, personnel officer and economic development coordinator.

In a closed session after the meeting, the council promoted City Clerk Culver E. Heaton Jr. to the new post, effective Monday. Heaton will receive a 9% pay raise and will retain some of his former duties.

The council eliminated the positions of assistant to the city manager and deputy city clerk, for a net savings of $45,000, City Manager Art Cook said.

The current deputy city clerk, JoAnn Sharp, was appointed to replace Heaton in the scaled-down position of city clerk, with an annual salary of $41,484.

Councilman David Bodley opposed the reorganization. He said that economic development was a duty of the city manager and that if Cook couldn’t do it, he should step down so the council could hire somebody who can.

Later, Cook responded, “I wish it was possible for me to do everything, but there are not enough hours in the day.”

Cook said Heaton, who was manager of the Glendora Chamber of Commerce before joining the city 20 years ago, is already unofficially in charge of economic development and helped bring electronics manufacturer Avicom and about 300 jobs to town in January. Cook said Heaton’s promotion will give him more time for such activities.

Heaton will also assist Cook in the duties of city manager and will retain his former responsibility for hiring, firing and labor negotiations.

The eliminated position of assistant to the city manager was vacated in June when Keene Wilson resigned. Cook said Wilson had known for two years that his position would be dropped to make way for an economic development coordinator.