The Piedmont City Council voted Thursday night to advertise an opening for an interim city manager.
The interim city manager could apply for the position as permanent city manager if all works out.
But Mayor Kurt Mayabb said he thinks the city would be better off to find someone on an interim basis.
The council voted last month to terminate City Manager Jason Orr.
Jennifer Smith has been named acting city manager.
Mayabb said the purpose of a special meeting Thursday night was to start the process of finding someone who will work closely with Smith as an interim city manager who would “repaint the front door,” and to “make it a nicer place for a city manager.”
The council members voted unanimously to post a free ad on the Oklahoma Municipal League and other websites until Oct. 8 about the open position.
Mayabb said it could take up to a year to hire a permanent city manager. He said Piedmont has had negative attention, and may be watched closely by state authorities such as the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Canadian County District Attorney’s office.
“They have a spotlight on us,” Mayabb said. “We have a black eye and are being watched,” he said at the meeting.
Orr was fired after a state audit concerning pickup purchases in 2020.
The council will meet in a regular monthly meeting 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27.
