Recently in Bradbury Category

Think your city is hot stuff?

Find out this weekend. Reporter Daniel Tedford is working on a story about the top cities in the San Gabriel Valley. Tedford is using a CNN/Money Magazine formula to rank the cities based on housing affordability, job growth, marriage and divorce rates, commutes, school test scores, and crime rates.

Just a heads up, you'll likely be VERY surprised to see whose at the top and bottom of the list.

Speaking of city managers, in talking to La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan on Wednesday about Frank Tripepi's recent appointment to transition manager, Lujan started talking about the possibility of La Puente needing to reevaluate it's city manager salary when a full-time replacement is hired.

Lujan talked about the decreasing pool of qualified city managers out there. He also referred to this story (salaries.pdf) from the Press-Enterprise about upped city manager salaries.

I spotted a $300,000-something salary in there somewhere.

Yikes.

Carol Cowley was making roughly $140,000 when she retired last month. But that's because, Lujan said, she didn't have a degree and she had no experience.

If Tripepi were to stay on as a transition manager for a year, he'd make $240,000 in La Puente.

Lujan talked about a very narrow gap between the lowest and highest city manager salaries in the SGV. Let's take a look.

In Rosemead, City Manager Oliver Chi makes about $178,000 a year.

Irwindale's Robert Griego makes about $180,000.

Michelle Keith took a job as Bradbury's city manager for $106,000 a year.

Covina's former city manager Paul Phillips -- who was city manager for eight years -- got $95,280 as part of a six-month severance package when he was fired a few months back. Double that, and the figure you get was his outgoing salary.

Cynthia Kurtz, who is serving as Covina's interim, is making $12,900 per month -- if she were there for a year, she'd make $154,000.

And in Pasadena, Michael Beck makes about $265,000 a year.

Many of our cities are facing budget cuts. So, here's an uplifting weekend question:

If you were in charge, what would be the first thing that you would cut out of your city's budget?

My apologies for not updating the blog earlier today. Because today will be a late night -- I got in at 2 p.m. to cover the El Monte meeting -- I am just now getting into the daily grove.

For the reader concerned about our Gregg Industries coverage: It is my understanding that a reporter has been covering that and is still at the hearing. We will have an update when she returns.

And yes, chasing down dead ducks and chickens does cut into blogging and reporting time.

It's the weekend! So here's something to think about:

Would you ever consider running for the City Council? Why or why not?

Sierra Madre community and personnel services director Michelle Keith has taken a job as Bradbury's city manager, according to Pasadena Star-News reporter Alfred Lee. Keith will be making $106,000 a year.

BRADBURY - The Bradbury City Council has appointed Michelle Keith, Sierra Madre's director of community and personnel services, as the new city manager.

A fixture in Sierra Madre's local government for 15 years, Keith was appointed unanimously Tuesday night and will start July 21.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to help (Bradbury) continue to preserve the small community they are, and help them in maintaining their values as they move forward," Keith said.

Donald R. Hopper, who has been serving as Bradbury's interim city manager for the past five months, praised Keith's selection.