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Apparently, without even a vote by the Oro Valley Council, the town's "Hiring Freeze" has gone "poof"! The hiring freeze started in November 2008 and was extended on May 27, 2009 in a special session of the Town Council. It was implemented by the previous council as one way of balancing the Oro Valley budget. Now, two years later, the "Hiring Freeze" is suddenly gone!
Apparently the Town's Interim Town Manager, Greg Caton, feels that the hiring freeze doesn't apply to him! So, unlike his predecessors, David Andrews and Jerene Watson, he will be hiring people as he sees fit. And that's that!!
How did all this happen?
November 15, 2010: Greg Caton, Assistant Town Manager from Durango Co, becomes Assistant Town Manager in Oro Valley.
June 12, 2011: Town Manager Jerene Watson resigns to take the deputy city manager position in Flagstaff. By the way, Watson was making a whopping $155,000 per year. (I gotta get me one of them Oro Valley jobs!)
June 30, 2011: Greg Caton, the Town's Assistant Town Manager becomes the Towns' Interim Town Manager.
August 11, 2011: Caton hires Misti Nowak for the "critical position" of communcations director. (We need a communications director like we need a hole in our head). The cost is $72,000 per year. (Man, I really do gotta get me one of them Oro Valley jobs!)
Here's a hoot: "Caton estimated the town is saving $240,000 this year by having Nowak take on several duties, and by not filling the assistant town manager position." (Explorer). In other words, the town is not going to fill the position that Caton formerly had, assistant town manager, because it isn't needed. Makes sense to us. We ponder: What was Caton doing for the six months he had that job if the job he was doing wasn't needed?
We understand that Caton has every intention of hiring more people.
Although we believe that the Town Council is the ONLY entity that can remove the hiring freeze, it appears that the Town Manager AND the Police Chief do as they wish.
So, while you were sleeping:
1. Oro Valley Town Manager Jerene Watson resigned
2. Greg Caton, former six-month Assistant Town Manager, became the Interim Town Manager
3. The Hiring Freeze, put in effect in 2008, confirmed in 2009 and never rescinded, went "Poof"
And, you, dear Oro Valley tax payer, will wind up footing the bill!
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