City Council voted unanimously last night to terminate City Manager Scott Vargo. You can watch their deliberations here, starting at 6 minutes. The Deputy City Manager, Carly Lorentz, will fill in until a new City Manager is appointed.
Here's a recap of our three most recent City Managers.
Mike Bestor served as the City Manager from 1993 until his retirement in 2015. The Planning Director, Steve Glueck, filled in until a replacement could be hired.
Jason Slowinski joined the City in 2015 before moving to the Colorado School of Mines in 2022. He was making $211,120 (plus benefits, plus a car allowance, plus a low-interest mortgage) when he left. Slowinski introduced the position of "Deputy City Manager" during his tenure, so the Deputy served as Acting City Manager (with additional compensation of $2750 per month) until Scott Vargo was hired.
Scott Vargo, who had been the County Manager of Summit County, joined the City in September of 2022. He began at an annual gross salary of $230,000 plus a car allowance of $725/month. The City agreed to pay up to $12,000 in relocation expenses and $2500/month in temporary housing costs for up to 6 months. Two months later, his salary was increased to $247,200. Council also increased the City's contribution to his retirement plan by 3% and loaned him $750,000 at 4.25% interest to buy a home in Golden. He was required to make interest-only payments but he must pay back the principle upon leaving the job.
