{"id":236832,"date":"2025-09-18T17:08:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T17:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/236832\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T17:08:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T17:08:14","slug":"phoenix-city-manager-role-to-be-filled-again-by-ed-zuercher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/236832\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix city manager role to be filled again by Ed Zuercher"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2013 In a case of \u201cmeet the new boss, same as the old boss,\u201d the Phoenix City Council rehired Ed Zuercher to manage Arizona\u2019s largest city on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Zuercher previously served as Phoenix city manager for eight years before retiring from the powerful job<\/a> in 2021. His retirement lasted four years.<\/p>\n

His replacement, Jeff Barton, announced last month<\/a> that he will be stepping down. Zuercher will resume his Phoenix city manager duties on Nov. 17.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s rare to have your dream job once in a lifetime, let alone twice, and I am incredibly lucky to get that chance,\u201d Zuercher said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He is currently serving as executive director of the Maricopa Association of Governments<\/a>, a regional planning and policy entity. Before taking that job, he spent 28 years in various roles with the Phoenix city government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no better person to serve as our next city manager than Ed Zuercher, whose steady leadership will help provide the stability we need as an organization and can help us navigate the road ahead,\u201d Mayor Kate Gallego said in the release. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to working with him, the City Council and every city employee to make our community even stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is Phoenix city manager an important job?<\/p>\n

City manager is the only Phoenix government job hired directly by the City Council. The position manages the city\u2019s day-to-day operations and provides policy advice to the elected councilmembers.<\/p>\n

Phoenix is the nation\u2019s largest city with a council-manager form of government. The city manager oversees 14,500 employees and a multibillion-dollar annual budget.<\/p>\n

During Zuercher\u2019s first stint as Phoenix city manager, which started in 2013, Phoenix dug itself out of a $37 million budget deficit and had a $30 million surplus when he stepped away.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhoenix faces a critical moment. We are losing not just an exceptional forward-thinking city manager in Jeff Barton, but we\u2019re saying goodbye to other key leaders with decades of experience and institutional knowledge,\u201d Vice Mayor Ann O\u2019Brien said in a statement. \u201cAt a time like this, we need a leader who can and will hit the ground running. That\u2019s why I believe Ed Zuercher is the right person for Phoenix now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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