Last night, the Twentynine Palms City Council officially hired Larry Bowden as Interim City Manager to replace outgoing City Manager Frank Luckino. Reporter Heather Clisby was there …
The Twentynine Palms City Council held a 27-minute meeting last night to – once again – hire Larry Bowden as Interim City Manager to replace Frank Luckino, who is leaving October 26 to take the same position with the city of Desert Hot Springs in Riverside County.
Bowden, who has served on the city council, as mayor, in various city positions, and as previous Interim City Manager (2014-2015), retired from public service in 2018. Bowden will serve until the agreement expires or until a full-time replacement is hired. Because Bowden is a PERS retiree (a former teacher), he is limited to working 960 hours per work-year, which would be up until June 30. He will be paid $86.50 per hour, be issued a city laptop and cell phone, and not receive healthcare benefits.
A long letter signed by various residents urged the council to consider hiring a city manager who “prioritize local residents over tourism and growth,” was read aloud by Mayor McArthur Wright.
The mayor noted to Bowden that the formation of a Youth Advisory Council would be one of his projects.
The remainder of the meeting consisted of public comments. Resident Susan Peplow noted that there still has been no meeting of stakeholders with regards to the Tourism Business Improvement District. Resident Pamela Slayton-La Fosse brought a large display of letters regarding the removal of wild peafowl in the Adobe Circle neighborhood. Resident April Ramirez brought her concerns about city councilmembers spending to the meeting.
The next meeting of the Twentynine Palms City Council is Tuesday, October 24.
