Antioch City Manager gives tentative retirement notice, Tuesday night
Steve Duran, file photo
By Allen Payton
In an email to the mayor and council members, Tuesday night at 9:17 p.m., Antioch City Manager Steve Duran offered his tentative plans for retirement, for next summer. In the email, he wrote:
Mayor and City Council Members,
This is just a heads-up on my tentative retirement plans. I have set a tentative date of August 15, 2017, but that could change given how far out it is. This is not an official 45 day notice of contract termination as required under my contract dated December 10, 2013. In the coming months I plan to set a firm retirement date and provide official notice as required under said contract.
There are a couple of reasons I am doing this now rather than waiting until, say, after the holidays. First, although we have done succession planning and we have strong internal candidates to succeed me, I want you to have plenty of time to determine your process for appointing the next City Manager. Second, I don’t want anyone to think that the timing of my departure is in any way connected to the results of our local election for the Mayor and two City Council Members. Rather, it is all about me and my family and having time to spend with my wife, and my daughter and her young family, as well as other family and friends. I am sure the Lord will have a few other things for me to do as well.
I will, of course, be happy to assist you with the process of choosing a new City Manager as you see fit.
Obviously, it’s way too early for goodbyes, but I want you to know that you are the best City Council with which I have had the pleasure of working over my nearly 19 years in local government.
In a brief interview on Wednesday afternoon, when asked if his retirement plans were due to the election results, Duran said, “No, it was planned by me.”
“I’ll turn 62 in February,” he continued. “That will be 40 years in. It’s time to pull back and not work full time. Time with family and friends and walking the dog.
“I want to definitely get through the budget process,” Duran added. “The next two-year budget needs to get approved in June.”
Duran started working as Antioch’s city manager on January 7, 2014. Among other things, he has shepherded the city during some difficult times of rebuilding, including the implementatiom of Measure C’s half-cent sales tax revenue, the passage of Measure O – the residential rental property business license tax, eliminating the Furlough Fridays and putting all city workers back to work full-time, the Downtown Specific Plan Update, and the promotion of Public Works Director Ron Bernal as the part-time Assistant City Manager.
Well some good news for antioch, and a very important
Task for the new council .
Hire a head hunter to search for a new city manager
Without the “help” of Duran .
Let’s concider a local candidate , who knows all of antioch
Problems, and a person who has antioch in his mind.
Concider to contact Michelle pfitzer and offer her the job.
Most important , be transparent and listen to the people who elected
You.
No internal promotions, we need to clean house, and stop the
Nay saying cycle. No buddy buddy , friends or
Relative promotion.
No current or former employees. I have confidence in this new council to get a head hunter and get it right. Someone with business sense, someone who can supervise all departments not just one or two like Duran. Someone who can straighten out the city finances and knows budgets. Someone with a firm hand with labor unions and isn’t afraid to freeze salaries and jobs if need be. Someone who can look around the city and actually SEE what is wrong because it is very obvious. Our city has been turning its head on what is wrong. Avoidance is not a solution.
Duran needs to let go right away, at all cost.
He states, he may leaves after the holidays, maybe in spring, and so on.
He can’t be trusted with any city business any more!!!
Today has to be his last day,