Ben Bitter was appointed on April 1st as Maricopa’s new city manager with a compensation package that has sparked controversy. His annual salary stands at $242,000 – $20,000 above that of his predecessor. The package also includes a $400 monthly stipend for personal vehicle use and a $100 monthly cell phone allowance. On April 16th, the city council approved the purchase of a house for Bitter valued up to $650,000, which he will repay at a half-percent interest rate over 30 years, significantly below current market rates. Passed through a consent agenda without public input, this arrangement has infuriated many residents over the use of taxpayer money.
The decision by the city council has ignited debate regarding the appropriateness of such financial decisions, especially considering Bitter’s contentious past and the city’s rapid expansion. During his time as city manager in Ashland, Kentucky, Bitter faced a controversial dismissal. The Ashland City Commission voted 3-2 to fire him, marking the first such dismissal in decades. The commissioners accused him of several policy violations, including issuing a $7,000 check as advanced vacation pay to a city employee against city policy, and failing to investigate over $200,000 missing from city expenditures on tires. Mixed opinions followed his firing, and the decision was eventually rescinded, allowing Bitter to resign.
Vincent Manfredi (pictured here), both an owner of InMaricopa.com and a member of the Maricopa City Council, staunchly supports Bitter. He emphasized an Ashland poll where 81 percent of respondents opposed the city commission’s decision to fire Bitter. His defense of Maricopa’s decision to buy a home for the city manager became evident at a Pinal Republican Club meeting on April 17th. However, his conduct at this meeting drew criticism from attendees, who told The Arizona Sun Times Manfredi’s “disturbing demeanor” at the meeting was rude and showed a “superiority that belittled others.” The source said there was a point at which a physical confrontation seemed imminent. During the meeting, Clark and Manfredi exchanged several tense words.
After the meeting, the conflict intensified with Manfredi’s interactions with Terry Clark, a local precinct committeeman, whom Manfredi allegedly targeted with derogatory comments in a Facebook post and in an InMaricopa article. This led to a heated Facebook message exchange between Manfredi and Clark. Consequently, Clark filed an ethics complaint against Manfredi, accusing him of “insulting” and “berating” those who challenged the housing arrangement for the city manager.
InMaricopa started their story on the ethics complaint by noting, “election years often ignite citizen criticisms of elected officials.”
Terry Clark and his wife, who had previously encouraged votes for Manfredi during his reelection campaign, expressed their confusion about the recent controversies to The Sun Times. Clark demanded a public apology from Manfredi in an InMaricopa interview. Manfredi, responding in the same publication, noted that Clark sends him messages almost daily. Clark admitted to frequently sending emails but highlighted his right as a Maricopa resident to question and comment on local leadership actions, emphasizing the city’s duty to respond.
The city council addressed the ethics complaint against Manfredi in an executive session Tuesday, a week ago. As of press time, no updates have been released on the outcome of the complaint.
The Sun Times reached out to Manfredi for comment, but has yet to receive a reply.
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Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter/ X. Email tips to [email protected].