With Chandler not even fully started in its process of replacing its city manager, the city now has another high-level vacancy to fill.

Chandler Deputy City Manager Andy Bass has been appointed executive director of the South Suburban Park and Recreation District in the Denver, Colo., area effective Sept. 8, the city announced July 10 in a news release.

The release states that district encompasses 46 square miles — a little more than two-thirds the area of the city of Chandler — and serves more than 151,000 residents in six cities and three counties south of Denver.

Bass’ last day with Chandler will be Sept. 5 — the Friday at the end of the short Labor Day week.

“I am excited for Andy to take on this new opportunity in his hometown, though his departure is certainly a loss for Chandler,” Chandler City Manager Josh Wright said in the news release.

Wright himself has put in his notice. He’ll take on an administrative position with his alma mater, the University of Arizona, after his last day as Chandler city manager on Aug. 1.

Bass was the parks and rec director in Reno, Nevada, where he’d been for about seven years, when he moved Chandler in July 2019 to take the community services director position. He oversaw Chandler’s parks and recreation divisions in that capacity.

Just before Chandler city manager Marsha Reed retired, Bass was promoted in January 2022 to deputy city manager, in which he currently oversees the Cultural Development, Development Services, Neighborhood Resources and Public Works & Utilities departments.

Wright said Bass has been “a tremendous advocate” for Chandler’s parks and recreation system, both in pushing for and arranging for both the construction of new facilities for a growing community and for reinvestment in existing rec assets.

“As deputy city manager, he has helped shepherd some of our most complex and impactful development and infrastructure projects,” Wright said in the release. “He has made a positive difference here and I will miss him as a colleague and friend.”

Bass serves alongside fellow deputy city managers Dawn Lang, who also is the city’s chief financial officer. Tadd Wille is Wright’s assistant city manager. A deputy city manager reports to the city manager and assists with overseeing the administration and day-to-day operations of the city.

The release states the opportunity in the Denver area marks a homecoming for Bass, as he returns to Colorado and will lead the parks and recreation system that he enjoyed as a youth.

Bass previously served in parks and recreation director and leadership roles for cities and towns in Colorado and Texas, as well as for a residential community association in Texas, it states, before his career path took him to Reno and later to Chandler.

The release states a decision regarding the recruitment and replacement of a deputy city manager will be made by Chandler’s Acting City Manager John Pombier in the near future.

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