Council to Pick Ward Five Representative in Early August
Rick Langenberg
The city of Cripple Creek may have a new temporary boss but the search for a permanent town manager is moving ahead at a torrid pace.
In addition, the town’s cadre of elected leaders will formerly appoint a new council member Aug. 5 to complete the term of Jared Bowman, who recently stepped down due to personal reasons. Bowman, who played a big role in the push for Cripple Creek to become a home rule city, announced plans to relocate out of the state, making him ineligible to continue his council job.
As a result, the city needs a Ward 5 representative for the remainder of 2026.
The person who gets the appointment will then have a leading edge to serve for the regular four-year term if they decide to run for the position this November. This seat currently expires in Jan. 2027.
At their Aug. 5 meeting, interviews will be held with the applicants for the position, and then the council will make a final appointment.
This is the first time the council has been forced to make a temporary appointment for some time.
Besides making a Ward 5 appointment, the city is moving ahead in efforts to pick a permanent city administrator.
Frank Salvato, the city’s head boss since the spring of 2022, recently stepped down to move back to Texas. After decades in public service, Salvato and his wife have opted to officially retire.
The council, though, wasted no time in picking a temporary replacement, as Steven “Steve” G. Rabe got the nod as the interim administrator. Rabe specializes in working for communities as an interim boss, noting he has overseen this type of assignment on many occasions. “I have done this 17 times,” said Rabe, when addressing the council, via Zoom, during a meeting in June.
In fact, Rabe noted that his current assignment with Cripple Creek is quite tame compared to ones he faced in the past in other communities in which he came on board during tumultuous times, following the termination of a top manager.
“Steve (Rabe) comes to us highly recommended, and he will be assisting the city in the hiring of a new city administrator,” said Mayor Annie Durham, in a previous email.
Rabe, in fact, performed similar services for the city of Victor. And according to current reports, his recommendation to hire Bobby Tech as the city administrator for Victor was lauded as a pick that worked quite well for the community. This made a big impression on the CC council when they agreed to approve a contract with Rabe.
“He has the experience,” said Cripple Creek Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Brown, when the contract with Rabe was discussed.
Overcoming a Revolving Chair Syndrome
Picking a permanent city boss in Cripple Creek, though, can be a tricky process. In the last two decades, Cripple Creek has undergone at least six substantial changes in city administration.
Salvato got the nod for the job in the spring of 2022, when three finalists, including himself, were introduced to the public at the Cripple Creek Heritage Center. Salvato clearly emerged as the top candidate during this final selection period.
But prior to that selection, the city underwent a frustrating period when it could not find the right pick for a head boss. The hiring of a permanent city boss was plagued by the COVID-19 epidemic and many economic woes for Cripple Creek, with the closure of local casinos for three months.
During a nearly two-year period, Ray White, who served as the city’s first heritage tourism director and then as its full-fledged administrator, worked as Cripple Creek’s interim boss. The city selected a consulting firm to help the government with the hiring process. But even then, the hiring process was anything but a smooth ride.
Durham, however, is optimistic that the city can achieve better results with Rabe at the helm of the selection process. She said Rabe has established a timetable of about four and a half months for the process needed to get a permanent boss on board.
The final decision will be made by the city council, according to Durham.
And if the right person can’t be found within this length of period, Rabe will continue his role as interim administrator. He currently works at city hall several days a week.
The prospective city administrator will have some tough shoes to fill as Salvato pursued an aggressive stance in securing multi-million-dollar infrastructure grants for the city, and in helping the community become a Main Street town. In addition, Salvator led the community process last year to educate residents about the benefits of becoming a home rule city and gaining more local control. This process worked as residents voted overwhelmingly last November to approve the formation of a committee to draft a new home rule charter.
Voters this November will decide the fate of the new proposed city charter, the final and most critical decision in Cripple Creek’s bid to receive official home-rule city designation.
If this document is approved, the status of the town administrator position will be elevated to that of a town manager. Moreover, this position will become more stable as the criteria for removing the town boss will be tougher than it has been in the past.
Previously, a town administrator was an at-will manager who could get canned with a simple majority council vote. Under home-rule designation, this would now take a two-thirds council vote. At the same time, it will now take a two-thirds council vote to appoint the city’s top manager, according to the proposed charter.
