Though the agenda was mostly empty, and the meeting adjourned in less than 30 minutes, last night’s gathering of the Twentynine Palms City Council was necessary for a quick transition. As per outgoing City Manager Frank Luckino stated, a special (closed) council meeting is set for Wednesday, October 11, at 11:15 a.m. to discuss and perhaps decided on an interim City Manager. Last night’s regular meeting will instead be held next Monday, October 16, with a closed session at 5:00 p.m. and the regular meeting at 6:00 p.m.
“At this point, no one knows if the council will be in a position to appoint an interim city manager by that time, but it is my hope that you will be able to do so as I will be leaving October 26th. It would be helpful to have someone on board in advance so I can work with them to facilitate a smooth transition,” said Luckino.
A contract for an interim city manager cannot be entered into in a special meeting and Luckino had advised the council not to wait until the next regular meeting on October 24 to address the issue.
In public comments, residents brought other issues before the council, such as unsafe traffic on El Paseo, an unresponsive Code Enforcement, and pushback on the removal of wild peacocks in the Adobe Circle neighborhood. There was also an emotional plea from resident Benjamin Alley on the escalating violence at the intersection of Bagley and Sunnyslope Avenues. There was a physical assault on his wife early Monday morning by three youths which left her unconscious and hospitalized.
