Published on September 07, 2023
Tuesday night, Council unanimously approved a revised contract that will see Maricopa City Manager Rick Horst transition to a new role with the City next year. Beginning in July of 2024, Mr. Horst will step aside as City Manager and assume a new position as Chief Strategy Officer. The primary focus of this new position is to facilitate and accelerate the achievement of Maricopa’s economic development goals and to help establish Maricopa as a premier, destination city in the State of Arizona. The Chief Strategy Officer also serves as a key advisor to senior officials who make recommendations which help shape significant City policies or programs without having full accountability for managing resources to achieves specific outcomes. “I think in the last 20 years we’ve come a tremendous distance from the very beginning to where we are now,” Mayor Nancy Smith said during Tuesday’s meeting. “But I think we’re ready and primed for a new level. I think to have an individual solely focused on strategic planning to me is where to benefit comes from.” Vice Mayor Rich Vitello offered his support for Mr. Horst and alluded to the work ahead to find a suitable replacement. “We’ve been honored to have him and bring what he has helped bring to this city. So, I look at it as, why lose him? I don’t want to lose somebody that I know can do a job. Right now, we have 11 months to make sure we find the right one, and we keep the one we have here doing what he does best,” said Vitiello. Councilman Vincent Manfredi explained to those in attendance why council felt compelled to make a new contract now. “By locking in an agreement with Rick, what we’re doing is making an understanding that we’re committed to him and we want to be able to keep him here. Because, regardless of where we get a City Manager from, whether it’s internal or external, having someone with Rick’s knowledge, experience, understanding, and ability… we’d be stupid to say ‘get out of here’. So, we want to keep him here,” Manfredi said. City Council will immediately begin determining the process for selecting Mr. Horst’s replacement and the details of that process will be made available in due course. “I want to assure the community that I will continue to fulfill all the duties and responsibilities of my current role as City Manager right until the very last minute on the very last day,” Horst vows. “We have so much to accomplish in the months ahead and our City Staff, myself included, will continue to deliver the high quality of service that is the mark of Maricopa.” Mr. Horst has served as City Manager for the City of Maricopa since June of 2018.