Chowchilla hires interim city leader

Chowchilla has hired an interim city administrator, who said she hopes to guide the city as it continues to see changes in its highest positions.

The City Council voted last week to hire Carolyn Lehr as interim city administrator. According to the contract, she could serve through April 30 at $12,207 per month plus additional benefits for retirement, temporary housing and a cellphone bill.

Lehr, 61, said she has 12 years of experience as a city manager in Monte Sereno, Rancho Palos Verdes and Keego Harbor, Mich. She said she hopes to be a stabilizing force in the city while it experiences changes.

“My job here is to help find a permanent replacement for the city administrator,” Lehr said. “Also, we are recruiting for the chief of police.”

In September, the council reached an agreement with former City Administrator Mark Lewis that began with his immediate resignation. On administrative leave since early that month, Lewis agreed to part with a nine-month, $122,525 severance package, according to Laura Crane, an attorney for the city.

In his absence, Police Chief Jay Varney was the acting city administrator, but he has won his bid to be the Madera County sheriff. He will be sworn in to that office Jan. 5, according to Erica Stuart, spokeswoman for the Madera County Sheriff’s Department.

Lehr said she will play an active role in the recruitment of the city’s administrator and police chief. Though her contract goes through the end of April, she said she does not intend to serve that long. “My goal is to get that replacement in house much earlier than that,” she said.

Though she is in the market for a permanent position as a city’s top administrator, she said, she will not be applying for the permanent Chowchilla job.

However, the temporary position will allow her to sharpen her skills, as the city oversees local police and fire, as well as an airport and issues related to the state’s water shortage.

“I feel quite fortunate to have this assignment,” she said. “This breadth of municipal services makes my job more exciting (and) more fulfilling.”

Chowchilla Mayor Richard Walker and Mayor Pro-Tem John Chavez could not be reached for comment.

This story was originally published November 27, 2014 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Chowchilla hires interim city leader."