Lori Johnson: Maybe city manager can do for Atwater, what he did for Merced?

Merced and Atwater, a tale of two cities. Thousands of residents, from both cities, zip back and forth on Santa Fe Drive to shop, work and visit. There are rivalries between the two cities for sure. But happily, the Santa Fe football bowl determines bragging rights. But make no mistake, there are big differences; Merced's budget calls for over two dozen new hires, to include more police and fire positions. There are no new positions for Atwater, just continuing employee furloughs. Merced is socking away an extra million dollars in their rainy day fund. Atwater is stuck with a multi- million dollar general fund deficit. Merced is funding youth programs with an extra $20,000. Atwater is adding nothing. Now, John Bramble, a retired Merced city manager, is coming on board as Atwater's interim city manager. Merced mayor Mike Murphy, then a councilman, stated; "John guided us through very difficult financial times." Our hope is, Bramble will work his magic on Atwater and clean up our mess.

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Lori Johnson: Maybe city manager can do for Atwater, what he did for Merced?."