Fired Arroyo Grande city manager takes job in Bay Area

Roughly a year-and-a-half after she was fired from Arroyo Grande’s top position, former city manager Dianne Thompson has taken a temporary new job with the city of Milpitas.

The Milpitas City Council hired Thompson as interim city manager on Jan. 16, to serve between the retirement of the current city manager and his recently announced replacement Julie Edmonds-Mares of San Jose.

It is unclear exactly how long Thompson will helm the city, though a Wednesday article in The Mercury News said contract negotiations with the new manager are expected to take four to six weeks.

“While this appointment will have a short term, the city is fortunate to have an experienced retired Bay Area city manager in Thompson,” read a city press release.

Thompson came to Arroyo Grande in August 2015 from the town of Ross in Marin County, where she served as interim manager; less than a year later in June 2016, the Arroyo Grande City Council unanimously voted to terminate her employment for undisclosed reasons.

She has since been replaced by current City Manager Jim Bergman.

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Fired Arroyo Grande city manager takes job in Bay Area."