After more than 21/2 hours of discussion from a packed Town Hall on Monday night, the fate of Cave Creek’s town manager came 
to reflect the results of the recent election.
The incoming council members, holding a majority on the council, ousted Usama Abujbarah from his position of more than a decade.
Councilmen Mike Durkin, Reg Monachino, Charles Spitzer and Adam Trenk voted to terminate the town manager. Mayor Vincent Francia and incumbent councilmen Ernie Bunch and Thomas McGuire voted to retain him.
Of the council members, only Trenk gave specific examples of any wrongdoing by Abujbarah, citing the placement of a land deed on the consent agenda that was under litigation last year, among others.
A termination date of Sept. 9 has been set, with Abujbarah to be immediately relieved of his duties and reassigned to a limited special assignment to facilitate “the transition of his successor.”
Abujbarah, who served as town manager since 1999 and was represented by attorney Dan Bonnett, did not comment.
Bonnett said Abujbarah’s removal requires a “written notice and reasons for his removal. He needs to know what he is responding to.”
The town will conduct a search for a new manager, with Rodney Glassman acting as interim manager. Glassman was a former Tucson City Councilman and ran for U.S. Senate in 2010.
Here is a statement taken from Rose Law Group attorney and Cave Creek Vice Mayor, Adam Trenk:
Last night the Cave Creek Council had a difficult task in front of it, as after months of speculation compounding the Town Manager’s tumultuous record in working with previous administrations, the air had to be cleared in order for us to be able to work together. It is unfortunate, but the local newspaper used the Town Manager as a political football, and set the new council up for failure if no action was taken. There were only two ways to start with a clean slate. Reassurance from the Manager that he would fulfill the duties of his office with integrity which might have primed a path to a negotiated middle ground ensuring cooperation. We didn’t get that, but instead were faced with the same type of orchestrated opposition all too familiar in the past when a council person stepped out of line and proposed an agenda item beyond the Town Manager and the local newspapers “comfort zone”. Given the choice of moving forward with a manager I know I could not trust, I voted with the Council to immediately relieve the Town Manager of his duties. It is not a decision I feel 100% good about, but I know it gives the new council the maximum probability of success in implementing the community wide objectives we set out to accomplish on behalf of the citizens. Hopefully an interim acting town manager can be selected this week, and we can get down to business.
