Council makes it official on 8-0 vote; Jeff Pomeranz is city's new city manager

CEDAR RAPIDS -- The City Council here has hired Jeff Pomeranz, who has been West Des Moines city manager for the last 12 years, as Cedar Rapids' new city manager.

The vote was 8-0 and came after a new round of high praise for Pomeranz from council members. Pomeranz was introduced as the city's new manager with high praise at a news conference last week.

Both Mayor Ron Corbett and Monica Vernon, chairwoman of the council's Personnel Committee, emphasized that the council wanted someone from Iowa who knew Cedar Rapids and could jump into the job quickly.

The city does not now need a new city manager who would require a learning curve about the city at a time when the city needs to get a lot done, Corbett and Vernon said.

Pomeranz, 52, was sitting in the front row at tonight's council meeting.

He grew up on Long Island, N.Y., holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Alabama and worked as a city manager in Texas and Washington state before arriving in West Des Moines.

No one on the council mentioned the details of Pomeranz's contract, which will pay him $225,000 a year plus an additional amount equal to 32 percent of his salary, which will go to a retirement account each year.

His new contract calls for him to start Sept. 7, though it states the date may be pushed back if necessary. Pomeranz is still working with his present employer, the West Des Moines City Council, on a departure plan from there. His contract calls for six months of notice there, though he said last night that the council and he will be discussing a shortening of the notice requirement.