The city of Cottonwood’s search for a new permanent city manager may soon be coming to an end.
The city of Cottonwood has narrowed its search for a new city manager from a field of 158 applicants to three finalists, who will interview for the job early next month: Ken Bennett, Mario Cifuentez and Darren Coldwell.
After former City Manager Scotty Douglass departed the position following the actions of three Cottonwood City Council members in January 2024 — all of whom left office in November — Utilities Director Tom Whitmer has been serving as acting city manager since February 2024 while the recruitment firm Duffy Group has been seeking someone to fill the post permanently.
Finalists will have the opportunity to tour the community with the mayor, introduce themselves to the public and meet with city staff during the interview process.
■Bennett is a former Arizona state senator who also served as Arizona’s 18th Secretary of State.
He worked for the Bennett Oil Company in Northern Arizona from 1985 to 2006.
He was elected to the Prescott City Council, serving from 1985 to 1989 and as mayor pro tem in 1988. He was appointed to the Arizona State Board of Education in 1992, then elected to the Arizona State Senate in 1998, serving four two-year terms, and was president of the Arizona State Senate from 2003 to 2007.
Bennett was selected as secretary of state in 2009 after then-Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano was named U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and then-Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer succeeded Napolitano as governor. Bennett was elected to a full term in November 2010. The position oversees Arizona’s elections.
Bennett ran for governor in 2014 and Arizona District 1 in the U.S. Congress in 2016, losing both times in the Republican primary.
In 2021, Bennett was named official liaison between the contractors performing the Maricopa County audit of the 2020 election, the Arizona State Senate and Maricopa County. The audit found no evidence of fraud and instead added 360 votes to President Joe Biden’s winning vote count over former President Donald Trump.
Bennett has strong skills in policy and procedure development, communication, community relations and servant leadership, according to a city press release.
â– Cifuentez has been the city manager for Hanford, Calif., since 2019. He previously worked nearly 34 years for the city of Visalia, Calif., departing as general services director.
He has worked in local government for almost 40 years and has strong skills in full-service city leadership, strategic planning, staff development, community outreach and engagement, team building and transparent communication, according to a city press release.
â– Coldwell has been the city manager for Page since 2019. He has strong skills in full-service city leadership, strategic planning, collaboration and community engagement, according to a city press release.
Coldwell’s experience includes stints as an elected mayor of Troy, Mont., from 2011 to 2017, and Lincoln County administrator in Montana from 2017 to 2019, as well as time as a small business owner. He was also recently one of four finalists for the position of city manager of Sedona.
