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Rucker gets council nod for interim city manager post
In a closed-door meeting, a unanimous City Council voted Tuesday to appoint Deputy City Manager Weldon Rucker as interim city manager. He will take the place of outgoing City Manager James Keene, who leaves for Tucson, Ariz., in August.
“It’s quite an honor. It’s quite demanding. It’s quite a challenge,” Rucker told the council, after the appointment was re-enacted in open session.
Rucker will receive the same salary as Keene, based on $154,000 annually. He will continue, however, to receive the same benefits he has garnered as Deputy City Manager. That probably means that he will not get the manager’s $700 monthly car allowance, although the Daily Planet could not immediately confirm this.
The public missed out on the closed-door discussion relative to the interaction between the interim city manager and the council. In public session, Rucker announced that he was looking forward to an “improved working relationship” with the council and “improved council meetings.”
