SAFFORD — The Safford City Council doesn’t want to waste any time when it comes to selecting a new city manager.
The council will go into closed executive session Monday, May 11, to discuss the candidates and, when they come back into the open public meeting, could vote on who they want for the job.
That’s according to the agenda for the May 11 meeting released late Wednesday evening.
If the council makes a choice, they will be asked to set the compensation for the position, and direct the city attorney and Human Resources director to extend an offer and begin contract negotiations with the chosen candidate.
The salary range for the position was listed as $136,745 to $205,118 per year. The interim city manager is currently being paid $168,000, and the former city manager was compensated at $190,000 per year at the time of separation.
The City Council will interview the three finalists for the position in closed executive session on Friday, May 8. No decisions can be made in executive session.
The three finalists are:
- Safford Assistant City Manager Eric Bejarano, who is serving as interim city manager
- Lake Havasu City Assistant City Manager Anthony Kozlowski
- Former Surfside, Fla., Town Manager Peter Jankowski
The city manager position became open following the City Council’s 4-3 vote to terminate City Manager John Cassella without cause in December 2025.
The City Council will meeting Monday at 6 p.m. in the programming room of the Safford City-Graham County Library.
