City Manager

About 25 people have applied to be Glendale's next city manager, including at least one familiar face: George Chapjian, who left his post as community services and parks director in December for a similar job in Long Beach. Chapjian confirmed this week that he had thrown his hat in the ring, but Burbank City Manager Michael Flad quashed rumors that he too was interested in the position. Citing the preliminary stage of the application process, Chapjian declined to discuss his decision.

To the Glendale City Council, thank you for serving our city. It is up to hard-working, involved people such as yourselves who keep Glendale the Jewel City of California. In this vein, regarding your selection of a new city manager, please consider the following suggestions: 1) Search beyond current city employees from Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena. Seek the best, not just the handy and known. 2) Do not give any extra credit or consideration for current or past service in any of the above cities.

In a rare public showing, about a dozen residents told City Council members before they met in closed session Tuesday to look beyond Glendale as they move to replace outgoing City Manager Jim Starbird, rather than promote from within. The speakers also called for the hiring process to be transparent as the council decides how to replace Starbird, 62, who announced plans to retire at the end of the year. “There's no such thing as partial transparency,” said Leonard Manoukian, a former Planning Commission chairman.

The process of selecting top city officials deserves wide public scrutiny (“Glendale city manager to retire,” July 13). I fully support the idea put forth by the Armenian National Committee of Glendale (“City manager's selection should be open,” July 29) for the process of finding city leadership that deserves the most comprehensive public evaluation. A Glendale city manager must have a proven record of significant problem-solving capacity in highly trying circumstances.

It has come to our attention that the City Council has begun discussions on the selection process for the next city manager for Glendale (“Glendale city manager to retire,” July 13). We believe this change in leadership presents a singular opportunity to hire an individual who not only has the requisite expertise in the field, but someone who will be able to address the root causes of challenges that our city will face in the coming years. Hiring such an individual can only and best be accomplished through an open selection process, allowing you to choose from a diverse list of qualified individuals from across the country.

CITY HALL - City Councilman Rafi Manoukian has demanded that closed door proceedings related to City Manager Jim Starbird be made public - claiming the council violated open meeting laws. Manoukian this week confirmed that on Sunday he sent an email to his fellow council members and the city attorney's office, alleging that the City Council had violated open meeting laws during a recent closed session deliberation. Under the Brown Act, legislative bodies are required to meet a slew of regulations and posting requirements intended to ensure that all deliberations and actions are reported to the public.

Don't bother saying thanks to Jim Starbird - he's been living a dream for the past 14 years as Glendale city manager. A day after disclosing plans to retire at the end of the year, Starbird talked about his love affair with the city and how he set his eye on becoming its city manager more than three decades ago as his career as a public servant advanced from Duarte, to Monrovia, to West Covina. “I never had a plan past Glendale, never visualized anything else,” Starbird said.

Longtime Glendale City Manager Jim Starbird will retire at the end of the year after nearly 14 years with the city, officials confirmed Wednesday. Starbird has helmed City Hall since March 1998 after working in the California cities of Eureka, Monrovia and West Covina before his time in Glendale. He has no plans other than to travel and enjoy time with his family upon retirement, officials said.  “Jim Starbird is one of the finest City Managers in the State and his departure will be deeply felt,” Mayor Laura Friedman said in a statement.