By Janet Perez | YourValley
The Florence Town Council has picked Russell Martin to be the new town manager.
The council made the decision to hire Martin during an executive meeting on Thursday, Jan. 12. At the town council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, staff will present Martin’s contract to the councilmembers for formal approval.
Martin, who was the town manager of Camp Verde, Arizona, until October 2022, will start his new job on March 6.
In February, Florence will have gone one year without a town manager after Brent Billingsley left the post to take on the job of director of community development for Pinal County.
Since his departure, Town Clerk and Deputy Town Manager Lisa Garcia has served as the interim town manager.
In December, the council announced it had chosen two finalists for the position. Members of the community got to meet them both on Jan. 5.
The top candidates came from a second round of interviews. A first round was held in May, but no one was selected.
Martin was hired over Joseph Wayne Neeb, the current town manager of Roswell, New Mexico, a position he resigned from in November 2022. His resignation would be effective Feb. 22.
