◼ After less than a year on the job, Eureka City Manager Bill Panos announced Friday that he is leaving the city to take a position with the Wyoming Governor's Office. - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Brought in to fill the shoes of retiring City Manager David Tyson, who held the post for a decade, Panos has had a busy nine-month tenure. In that time, he's overseen the hiring of a new police chief, a comprehensive strategic planning process, and a budget process that included the consolidation of city departments.
Mayor Frank Jager said he was surprised and disappointed to hear news of Panos' pending departure, but he's happy for him.
”It's an opportunity he couldn't refuse,” Jager said Friday, noting that the governor's office has also offered a position to Panos' wife. “You get an offer like that, you can't turn it down.”
And, Jager quickly added, Panos is leaving the city in a good position.
”The city's in good shape,” he said. “We have an excellent assistant city manager, a great staff and Bill's done a lot of things to move forward. There's no reason to believe things won't continue in that vein.”
