Another shakeup is occurring in the upper ranks of Peoria city staff that has left a void in leadership including a team of zero deputy city managers where once there were three.
At the same time, a former city economic development director and employee at Mayor Jason Beck’s company was brought in for a newly create position.
Deputy City Manager Katie Gregory was fired and Communications Director Briana Cortinas resigned on the same day, March 6.
No reason has been given for the termination of Gregory or the resignation of Cortinas.
Additionally, former Peoria Economic Development Director Rick Buss, who was fired under former Mayor Cathy Carlat, was hired back two weeks ago under current Mayor Beck. A new position was created for him — assistant city manager.
Under his purview as city manager, Henry Darwin created the position and selected Buss to fill it, Interim Communications Director Tim Eiden said.
The city council was kept out of the decision to hire Buss, and no other candidates were interviewed for the position, in much the same manner Darwin was brought into the city with no official job posting.
City manager, city attorney, city judge, police chief and fire chief are the only positions required to be hired with council approval, according to the city charter.
However, some people close to the situation say with assistant city manager as a new position, coupled with the fact Buss is a previous employee who was terminated, should warrant full disclosure to the council, in public or at the very least, in advance of the action.
Previously, Buss had been the government affairs director for Beck’s company TYR Tactical since at least May 2022.
During the past 15 years, he has left a trail of spotty employment.
During his more than four-year employment with the city of Maricopa as city manager, Buss along with the city’s IT manager were investigated by Arizona Department of Public Safety for allegedly illegally recording conversations while working for the city.
Buss resigned from the city of Maricopa in mid-August 2007.
The investigation began in 2007, concluded in August 2008, and amounted to a 600-page report including interviews from about a dozen employees and city contractors.
The Arizona Attorney General’s office concluded there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges against Buss on June 16, 2009.
After more than three years as assistant city manager at the city of Surprise, Buss was given the option of being fired or resigning in February 2018. He chose resignation, but again no reasons were given to the public.
Buss initially started with Peoria in February 2018. His termination in 2021 as the city’s economic development director led to the severing of a partnership with developer Vintage Partners who had plans to redevelop Old Town Peoria.
Buss was let go from his position with Peoria in May 2021. At the time his salary was $145,000.
None of the parties said at the time why Buss was terminated.
When he was economic director for Peoria, Buss reported to Gregory, who was his supervisor. Now Buss is back in the position of assistant city manager and after two weeks of his hiring, Gregory was fired.
A statement sent to Peoria Independent by Eiden stated Beck did not create the position of assistant city manager, nor was he involved in the hiring process.
“Buss is not authorized to terminate employees and had no part in the departure from the city of Peoria of former Deputy City Manager Katie Gregory,” Eiden said. “Communication Director Briana Cortinas abruptly resigned from her employment with the city of Peoria on March 6, 2023.”
City Councilmember Mike Finn said keeping fiscal responsibility in mind, anytime the city is creating a position at the city manager level, council should know about it, especially taking into consideration Buss’s employment history as well as the higher level salary. Buss’s salary in his new position was not immediately available.
Finn added that Gregory was a huge asset to Peoria and now there is a dearth of leadership at the deputy city manager level.
“To say that I was surprised when I got word of Katie’s firing — that is a gross understatement. She was the last standing deputy city manager and great at her job. Katie has done so many things in her 23 years to move this city into the future and make it what it is today, and now all three city deputy managers are gone,” Finn said. “I used to have a really good knowledge base of what was happening in the city and good council direction, much of that thanks to Katie and those leaders who are now gone. Now I feel that knowledge base is dwindling and as a tenured councilmember, I am being kept at arm’s length.”
An exodus of high-level Peoria officials began not long after Beck was elected last November.
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.
City Attorney Vanessa Hickman stepped down Jan. 4.
None of the positions have been filled permanently aside from City Manager Henry Darwin.
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