VENTURA : Thomas Accepts Interim Position
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Richard Thomas, the former top administrator in Santa Barbara, has accepted a position as Ventura’s interim city manager, Ventura Mayor Tom Buford announced Wednesday.
Thomas’ contract must still be approved by the council at its weekly meeting Monday. Thomas, selected by the City Council from a slate of four applicants, is scheduled to start work July 6.
Thomas will fill in until the council can find a permanent successor for City Manager John Baker, who is resigning July 5 to start his own consulting business after 12 years in the post.
Thomas, who shares the same name as Ventura’s police chief, retired in the fall from the city administrator’s job in Santa Barbara, where he had worked since 1977. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Thomas has also served as city manager of cities in Montana, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri, Buford said. Thomas holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s degree in arts and business from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.
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