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City to hire Jeff Pederson
By Tracy Overstreet
tracy.overstreet@theindependent.com
Grand Island Mayor Margaret Hornady wants Jeff Pederson as the next city administrator, but she said the city has struggled a bit to overcome legal issues with his contract.
"I sure think this is somebody I can work with, and the city council liked him, too," Hornady said of Pederson.
The 50-year-old Pederson was city manager of Dodge City, Kan., for two years until June, when he negotiated an early leave from his contract there.
"Basically, he resigned and we were at a position . . . it was just a difference in a style of management and we wanted to go a different direction," Dodge City Mayor Kent Smoll told The Independent.
Smoll said Pederson made some key management changes in a city-owned car racing track, was instrumental in expanding the city soccer and youth football fields and helped bring consensus to a "
rather rough (city) commission."
But with four sales-tax projects in the works, including a new special events center, Smoll said Pederson wasn't moving fast enough for the city.
"We were really ready to take on the events center, along with we just voted in casino gaming and we weren't sure we'd be able to move fast enough on those projects with Jeff because he's very thorough," Smoll said.
Smoll said Hornady called him personally to discuss Pederson.
"I want to assure you, his departure had nothing to do with unethical behavior. He's very pleasant," Smoll said.
Pederson said he had already been considering other jobs when Dodge City officials suggested his talents might be better utilized elsewhere.
"We mutually decided I should be somewhere else," Pederson said.
But there's already been some controversy in making that somewhere else Grand Island.
Hornady wants Pederson hired Sept. 11 so he can start the job the week of Sept. 17.
She said there have been "legal issues" in contract wording because the boiler plate administrator contract was deemed to be unconstitutional under Nebraska law.
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Very common point here is that whatever lead to Jeff leaving, Kent Smoll was at the front of it.
I like the part:
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"rather rough (city) commission."
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