Cottonwood Deputy City Manager Rudy Rodriguez has been named interim city manager after the sudden departure of Cottonwood City Manager Scotty Douglass.
While Cottonwood City Council had planned to discuss a more permanent replacement on Tuesday, Jan. 16, those plans have apparently been scrubbed.
“The city is committed to ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining the high standards of governance that our residents expect,” Rodriguez stated in a press release.
Cottonwood City Manager Scotty Douglass’ sudden departure
Cottonwood City Manager Scotty Douglass had resigned on Friday, Jan. 5, stating he would remain in place through April 4, as per a 90-day notice as per his contract.
However, in a letter sent to council on Tuesday, Jan. 9, Douglass stated that while in his formal notice of resignation on Jan. 5, citing “personal and family reasons” he indicated on Jan. 9 that the issue was harassment from at least two members of council and “we are all aware that the Council forced me to resign.”
“I thought it might be possible to function in my role for 90 days if my resignation caused the Council to stop its harassment and bullying of me, but it is clear that is not going to happen,” he wrote. “Recent events have shown full well that the Council is going to continue to harass, bully, and intimidate me as long as I am here. No one can reasonably be expected to endure this type of abuse and threatening conduct, and I am done doing so. I will leave my employment with the City effective January 9, 2024.”
“At a meeting with two Councilmembers on January 3, 2024, they called for my immediate resignation by noon on January 4, 2024. These Councilmembers through bullying, intimidation and harassment, made it clear that if I did not resign, that they would pursue my termination threatening public disparagement,” he stated. “In a state of shock, I tendered my resignation the morning of January 4th as had been demanded.”
“I even gave the Council 90 days-notice, per the written terms of my employment agreement,” he wrote. “However, what happened on January 3, 2023 was a termination of my employment, and not a resignation. Not only was it a termination, but it was one that was done in the most threatening and stressful manner conceivable.”
City Alters Language in Official Statement
The city stated in a press release issued at 3:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10, that “His resignation was presented to City Council on January 5, 2024 stating he would remain in place through April 4, 2024 to honor his contract agreement. In an abrupt turn of events, Douglass resubmitted a letter of resignation effective immediately to council, Tuesday, January 9.”
“The interim City Manager is Rudy Rodriguez until a more permanent solution can be discussed at the next City Council meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, January 16.”
However, in a new press release issued at 12:33 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12, the phrase “to honor his contract agreement” about Douglass has been deleted. The altered press release states “His resignation was presented to City Council on January 5, 2024 stating he would remain in place through April 4, 2024. In an abrupt turn of events, Douglass resubmitted a letter of resignation effective immediately to council, Tuesday, January 9.”
The new press release also states that “The interim City Manager is Rudy Rodriguez until further notice. There will be no discussion regarding the search for a new City Manager at the next council meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.”
Both the original and the new press releases conclude with a statement from Rodriguez inhis official capacity as interim city manager: “The City is committed to ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining the high standards of governance that our residents expect.”
There was no supplmental statement about the alteration to the paragraph about Douglass nor why council has now decided not to discuss an interim city manager other than Rodriguez.
Cottonwood interim City Manager Rudy Rodriguez
Rodriguez previously served as Cottonwood interim city manager before from November 2022 to May 2023 after Ron Corbin resigned and before the city hired Douglass.
Daulton Venglar/Larson Newspapers
Born and raised in Eagle Pass, Texas, on the Mexico border he graduated from Eagle Pass High School in 1976, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting control systems in December 1988 from the University of North Texas in Denton.
Rodriguez began his accounting career at the Maverick County Tax Office, supervised the Motor Vehicle Division and the Property Tax Office. He was later hired as chief accountant for the city of Eagle Pass, wrote the first budget document conforming to the Government Finance Officers Association standards and obtained the first GFOA Budget Presentation Award.
Rodriguez was hired as a budget analyst for the city of Casa Grand in 1993 and worked as network administrator for the city.
In November of 1994, Rodriguez moved back to Eagle Pass, Texas, to be closer to family and ailing mother, serving as assistant finance director managing accounting and budget operations.
Rodriguez moved back to Arizona in 1999, serving as Cottonwood’s Administrative Services general manager for 17 years, responsible for information technologuy, finance, human resources, procurement and the Cottonwood Area Transit system. He was named deputy city manager in June 2017.
Rodriguez is president of Kairos Health Arizona Inc., which provides health benefits to nearly every school, town and city in the Verde Valley, as well as many other governmental agencies throughout the state; president of the Arizona Municipal Risk Retention Pool, which provides Worker Compensation Benefits, General Liability, Property and Casualty Coverage and Risk Management to many smaller Arizona rural communities; a Certified Government Finance Manager; and a member of the Association of Government Accountants, the Government Finance Officers Association of Arizona and the National Government Finance Officers Association.
For questions or concerns, contact Tricia Lewis at pio@cottonwoodaz.gov or via (928) 340-2729.
