Meet and Comment On The Town Manager Candidates Tonight

Meet the candidates tonight
The Oro Valley Town Council will hold an open session tonight starting at 5pm. The two manager finalists,  Jeff Wilkins and Larry Dorr, will present their case to the Council.  Residents are invited to view the session in person or online. Then, the town invites residents to "...provide feedback that will help the Council make this important decision." This can be done in person at the meeting or by completing a digital comment card. Digital comment cards are available between 5pm and midnight.

A first time event
This is the first time that Oro Valley is allowing residents the opportunity to do this. Prior Councils selected former town managers Mary Jacobs, Greg Caton, David Andrews, and Chuck Sweet with no community involvement. In addition, a few residents will submit one question to each candidate. These members were selected by the each councilmember.

Who are these guys anyway?
The town has provided a brief bio on the two candidates, Jeff Wilkins and Larry Dorr.  We published that last week.  Both Wilkins and Dorr have social media accounts on Linkedin, the site for professionals. However, neither account is active. 

Jeff Wilkins
According to his Linkedin [Social media web site for professionals] account, Wilkins was County Administrator for Kendall County (Il) for fifteen years. Then, he was Interim Finance Director for six months for the City of DeKalb until October 2017. After that ,Wilkins joined the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) as Director of Administration. Though his Linkedin profile states that he his currently working there, the SWACO web site does not list him as an employee. The profile the town released indicates that he is not currently employed. 

According to one news report, Wilkins left his Kendall County Administrator position (Source) for mutual reasons. According to Kendall County Board Chairman Scott Gryder, there was new leadership and it was "... good for everybody to move in a new direction." Wilkins salary at that time was $125,000. The county's budget of about $96 million is comparable to Oro Valley's budget. Like Pima County, Kendall County is finance by a property tax. (Source) Oro Valley does not have a property tax. The town was founded on never having one.  Residents have always rejected such.

A few months ago, Wilkins was one of three finalists for County Administrator of Indian River County in Florida. He was not selected as a finalist.

Larry Dorr
Larry Dorr is the Deputy City Manager/Chief Financial Officer for the City of Westminster Co. Westminster is located nine miles north-northwest of Denver. The City is much larger than Oro Valley. It's expenditure budget is about $260 million. The town employs more than 1,000 employees.  Westminster has 116,000 residents. The Westminster budget includes operations that are similar to those of Oro Valley. For example, the budget includes a water department, a police department and golf. (source)

Dorr has been looking to leave his position in Westminster for some time. He lost out as candidate for Larimer County (Co) Administrator in 2022. That would be just two years after he joined Westminster.

Dorr served for sixteen years as Finance Director for the City of Lakewood Co. Lakewood is also larger than Oro Valley. Their budget is more than $200 million. The City population is three times that of Oro Valley

Do these two really fit? 
We are surprised that these are the two best candidates that resulted from the national search. They have experience in a much larger organizations than Oro Valley. The Oro Valley town manager job is really a step back in their career. 

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Oro Valley Names Two Finalists For Town Manager

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (April 5, 2023) – Oro Valley Town Council has named two finalists for the town manager position. Council has been working with consulting firm Ralph Andersen & Associates to recruit qualified candidates and narrow down the field from 40 applicants. The Town of Oro Valley began the process of recruiting a town manager in September 2022, following the departure of former Town Manager Mary Jacobs. Deputy Town Manager Chris Cornelison has been serving as interim town manager during this process.

The two finalists will interview with Town Council, executive staff and a panel of community members next week, April 12-14. Their names, photos, current and/or previous positions and educational backgrounds are provided below.

An opportunity for the general public to meet/hear from the finalists and provide input will be announced later this week.

Jeff Wilkins
Most recently, Jeff Wilkins served as Director of Administration and Treasurer of Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio for about five years. Prior to that, he served more than 15 years as County Administrator of Kendall County, Illinois, a fast-growing county comprising 12 incorporated cities. Mr. Wilkins holds a master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University, and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from DePauw University.

Larry Dorr 

For the past three years, Larry Dorr has served as the Deputy City Manager and CFO for the City of Westminster, Colorado. Prior to that, he served approximately 16 years as Director of Finance and City Treasurer for the City of Lakewood, Colorado. Mr. Dorr holds a master of business administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of California, Irvine.

(Source: Town of Oro Valley Press Release)
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Bits and Pieces

Town Council votes to continue approval of Naranja-LaCanada Project 

The Oro Valley Town Council voted unanimously to continue a request for exceptions for a proposed commercial development on the northwest corner of LaCanada and Naranja Drive. Last month, council had approved a conditional use permit for the property. Council voiced considerable concern regarding the impact of the project on the traffic at that intersection. That intersection is currently rated an "E or F" (Low performance...longer delays) during some hours of the day. The project crams three buildings and a drive thru facility on a dry small lot. There is significant resident opposition to this project.  In our opinion, the project does not benefit Oro Valley but it will benefit the developer.

Town Manager selection process continues.. timetable released

We have not been reporting about the process of selecting a new town manager. There has not been anything to report. Yesterday, the Council met in special session the status of the process and next steps. The recruiter, Ralph Andersen & Associates, has identified 40 resumes.  The next step are structured panel interviews. 

The schedule is:

• Town Council has access to the resumes today. The resumes are classified in three tiers: Top Tier; Alternates and All Others.  
• Council meets in executive session next Wednesday to discuss candidates
• Council will interview candidates the following week. 
• The town will release the names of an submitted materials regarding 2-3 finalists the week of April 3.
• Council will make a selection mid April

(Source: March 13, 2023 Recruiter Memo to Council)

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Bits and Pieces

Council retains executive search firm to find new town manager

Ralph Anderson & ‘Associates (RAA) has been selected to manage the search for the next Town Manager of Oro Valley. Ms. Heather Renschler,  President/CEO and will be the principal consultant for the search. (Source: Town of Oro Valley Council Special Session, 11-10-22) 

Ms. Renschler presented an overview of the proposed process for the Town Manager search at last nights Town Council Special session. The process will include individual discussions with each council member and community outreach.

Aquatic Center to close in December/January

“The Oro Valley Aquatic Center will be closed beginning December 5 through the end of January 2023, for improvements to the pump room circulation and filtration, along with general maintenance and cleaning...During the closure, all 6- and 12-month memberships paid in full will be extended for two months.” (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Sad situation: Celebrated retired 23-year Oro Valley police officer arrested in sex predators sting

Former Oro Valley police officer, Daniel Horetski was arrested this July 15 by Huron county Michigan police in a sex sting operation. According to a report, Horetski  engaged in online conversations with undercover police officers running a site for underage prostitution and went to a location to meet with one.(source). 

Horetski is charged with child sexual abusive activity, accosting a minor for immoral purposes, and using a computer to commit a crime. He faces up to 20 years in jail.  He was recently released on bail.

This is truly a sad situation. 

Horetski worked for the Department for 23 years. He retired on July 11, 2019 and was celebrated for his service (panel right). He served as a School Resource Officer (SRO) at CDO for several years. There is a Facebook page celebrating his retirement.

Oro Valley Police Department Sergeant resigns amid investigation   

Sgt. Jose Sanchez resigned from the Department last week. The Department was investigating an allegation regarding an event that happened in September.  “On Sept. 6, Pima County Sheriff’s deputies were sent to the scene of a hit-and-run collision involving a gray Honda Civic and a black pickup truck in the parking lot of Trident IV, in the 2900 block of West Ina Road at North Shannon Road” (Source)

Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf implementing two years marketing plan

Friends of Pusch View have developed and are implementing a two year marketing plan. "The plan includes connecting with local hotels and apartment complexes to encourage hotel guest play; providing training and material to their team members; social media outreach; helping encourage kids’ play and much more!" (Source: Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf email)

Cornelison receives "40 and Under 40" Award
“ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (Nov. 8, 2022) – The Town of Oro Valley is pleased to announce that Interim Town Manager, Chris Cornelison, has recently been named one of the “40 Under 40” award recipients for 2022. Presented by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Daily Star, the “40 under 40” award recognizes and celebrates young professionals for their leadership and community involvement. Cornelison will be recognized during the “40 under 40” Award breakfast on Tuesday, December 6. Cornelison has served the Town of Oro Valley for the past 10 years, with the past six in the capacity of Assistant/Deputy Town Manager. During the November 2, Town Council Meeting, he was appointed Interim Town Manager.” (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)