In tomorrow’s paper, you’ll see an article on the departure of La Puente City Manager Carol Cowley.

We’ve seen a lot of San Gabriel Valley city managers announce exits this week: in Irwindale, Robert Griego is looking for another job in Oregon, and in Covina, Paul Philips was simply fired.

In La Puente, Cowley said she is retiring —- after less than two years in office.

That’s right, the city’s first female city manager — who rose through the ranks from the city clerk’s office to the city’s top executive spot without a college degree — isn’t sticking around through 2010, the term outlined in her original contract (view it here:Agreement_No._06-849.pdf)which took effect Jan. 1, 2007. That’s when Cowley took the job.

City officials say Cowley’s early departure is not unordinary. And the only reason her contract listed a three-year stint is because that’s the standard contract usually outlined by the International City/County Management Association.

But other city managers tell me they find it a bit strange that someone in that position would retire so quickly.

Officials are being pretty mum on the hiring process from here on out. Looks like they had some discussions in closed session, but they can’t talk about them per state laws. In the meantime, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Cowley will be sticking around for another few months until a replacement is hired.

She told me today she doesn’t think she’ll be included in the hiring process. That’s gonna be up to the council…Any candidates out there?