Leftovers column...

Call it a mass exodus if you will.

It likely wasn't planned, but the impending departures of the above mentioned city executives are bound to cause some confusion and concern among city staff members in La Puente, Covina and Irwindale. That's where Cowley, Philips and Griego hail from, respectively.

In Covina, City Hall is still buzzing after Philips' termination at a special City Council meeting last Monday. City staff members -- who didn't know Philips was fired until the next day -- are uneasy about the future, and who will be taking his spot.

The same can be said of La Puente city staff members, some of whom are worried there may be fallout once Cowley retires on Sept. 30. While she'll be sticking around through the end of the year as a city consultant -- until a replacement is hired -- some city staff members question whether Cowley's replacement will want to get rid of them and bring in a new crew.

As one city manager put it, "Whenever the big boss leaves, staff gets scared."

At least in Irwindale where Griego is interviewing for an administrator position in Woodburn, Ore., city officials are already aware that their top executive could be leaving.
But no doubt, hiring an effective city manager in any of those cities is not going to be easy.

According to the International City/County Management Association, the role of a city manager is to oversee the administrative day-to-day operations in City Hall so that council members can focus on policy change.

That takes someone who is either really educated and savvy, or someone who has a lot of city government experience -- or both.

After a prime candidate is hired, some Valley officials say the trick then is keeping them long enough so they can get into the groove, start initiatives and follow through with improvements.

All while navigating through the political game, of course.

Cowley and Griego served in their respective positions for less than two years.
While some city officials say that's not unusual, others find it a little strange that someone in such a position would leave so quickly.

In fact, the ICMA sets out standard contract terms for city managers at three and five years.
Regardless of why they are leaving and after how long, at least we can rest assured that Valley city managers are well taken care of.

Cowley will be getting about half of her $140,000 annual salary and health and medical benefits for the rest of her life as part of her retirement plan.

At $180,000 a year, it's likely Griego will be making a pretty comparable salary if he takes another job.

And Philips -- who was city manager for eight years -- is getting $95,280 as part of a six-month severance package.

On a completely unrelated topic, Baldwin Park Councilman Anthony Bejarano said last week, "City government employment is a labor of love. If you're getting into city government to make a lot of money, you're going to have a rude awakening."