By Sean Higgins
Coolidge Examiner
A narrow margin vote during the Coolidge City Council’s Sept. 10 meeting approved the lift of a hiring freeze to fill one full time growth management director position, currently vacant.
In a 4-3 decision, Mayor Tom Shope, Vice Mayor Gilbert Lopez and council members Richard Lister and Steve Hudson voted in favor, while council members Judy Rotz-Lopez, Jacque Hendrie-Henry and Jon Thompson voted against.
The decision wasn’t made before hefty discussion ensued.
“I have a vision for how this is supposed to work,” City Manager Bob Flatley said during the meeting. “We don’t have the luxury of stretching people into different categories. We need a couple of good people. We’ve been lucky enough to have people come into the city and do a great job. I need that same type of person to be the growth management director.”
The difference between a “planner” and a “growth management director” was an item that needed defining.
