Acting City Attorney Emily Jurmu is now the official city attorney for the city of Peoria.
Jurmu, a lawyer in the city attorney’s office, stepped in as acting attorney after former City Attorney Vanessa Hickman stepped down.
Hickman was one of seven high-level Peoria employees who either stepped down or were fired since Mayor Jason Beck was elected in November.
Jurmu was appointed by a 6-1 vote, with Councilmember Brad Shafer dissenting.
“My vote is not a direct reflection of you Emily, personally, or your experience and knowledge. I just wish we had a competitive search so we could compare other candidates and we would know we have the best city attorney,” Shafer said.
Jurmu will have an annual salary of $225,000, according to her contract.
Beck said he supports Jurmu’s appointment.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Emily on a couple different projects now. I think she is a very bright light to the position and adds the culture that we need going forward with that office,” Beck said.
An exodus of high level employees began not long after Beck was elected.
Most recently Communications Director Briana Cortinas resigned. In a resignation email sent to City Manager Henry Darwin March 6, she said, “I regret to share that I am resigning as Peoria’s Communication Director. I am providing two weeks notice and my last day is March 16. Please let me know if there is anything that I may do to assist with a smooth transition.”
No other information was shared about her resignation.
Deputy City Manager Katie Gregory was fired on the same day Cortinas resigned. No reason was given for the termination of Gregory.
Deputy City Managers Erik Strunk, Andy Granger and Real Estate Development Officer Scott Whyte stepped down after the election. City Manager Jeff Tyne on Nov. 22 announced his resignation from the city. His final day was Jan. 30.
Hickman stepped down Jan. 4.
None of the positions have been filled permanently aside from Darwin and Jurmu.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here