The city council of Surprise, Arizona, unanimously selected Randy Oliver as their new city manager. Randy, of course, was previously the city manager here in Peoria. Since he left, Henry Holling has been the interim city manager while the council continues to look for a permanent replacement. Oliver is arriving in Surprise just as their council is starting to work together instead of fighting so much.
UPDATE: I missed this line before:
Past achievements Oliver outlined in his interview include: streamlining the building permit process in Peoria; working with construction-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar and Bradley University to form an Innovations Center in Peoria with lab space; negotiating a deal for a $20 million expansion of the University of Illinois Medical School; and helping make the largest annexations in the histories of both Greenville and Peoria.
The largest annexation in the history of Peoria was the Richwoods Township annexation in 1964, which added 20 square miles to the city. The largest annexation Oliver oversaw was a little over one square mile (715 acres).
Is this a Surprise? In Arizona.
Is this a surprise: A politician lying?
Theres nothing like talking out of your butt and trying to make yourself sound more important then you really are. And what did Randy Oliver do for Peoria? Nothing but take up space at the city council meetings and robbing the tax payers of this city out $132,000. So maybe the city council in Surprise, AZ should actually check his references and make sure that if he resigns as their city manager that they have enough money to pay him give him for his pay-off. And in closing does anyone really care who Randy Oliver is or the lack of what he does. Not really!! Hes just another idiot scamming his way through life.
Randy Oliver is a nice guy, whatever you think of his tenure in Peoria. I kinda doubt he was telling falsehoods. Could just be a goof on the part of the newspaper. It’s been known to happen.
But … I am never surprised by the reluctance of governmental units to hire folks withing checking references, academic credentials, etc.
The fine folks of Jennings, MO, probably with they had Googled Kay Royster before they hired her, and then had to fire her.
http://www.hoinews.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=92707
He was totally telling falsehoods, what was his involvement with the U of I Medical Center expansion or the Innovation Center?
Oliver was deeply involved in the negotiations over the financial help the city provided. I did a a few posts about it when it came down the pike. I was critical, he thought it was a wonderful idea.
I would verify said posts, but it appears the site is down…
Sounds like Billy is in bed with Oliver, among others …
That’s just an ignorant comment. While I may disagree with Billy’s opinion of Oliver’s involvement with those projects there is no rational reason for him to be “in bed” with a recently fired (calling it like I see it) city manager who now lives in AZ.
Pul-ezze! Billy is always sticking up for this city offical or that city offical. The real reason why he does so is because they have contributed $$ to his blog. Billy can be bought.
Prove it.
Hell, everyone knows Sandberg can buy me off with a couple slices of pizza at Whitey’s after council meetings.
Come to think of it, one night I bought him a beer, and the next day I made a comment on his blog and it posted.
It might have been a Diet Pepsi, Diane.
😉
And the sensitivities of the masses were assaulted by the first documented case of interview puffery.
He lasted 9 months then we fired him.