LAND OF LOVE — The Loveland City Council will hold a special meeting next Tuesday to name a new city manager, city attorney and city judge.

The appointments of James Thompson as city manager, Vincent Junglas as city attorney and Jennifer Edgley as city judge must be approved by a majority of council members, meaning six affirmative votes from the nine-member council.

The appointments will fill vacancies that have marked a year of turmoil in Loveland city government. The newly elected council failed to gain the necessary majority to fire City Manager Steve Adams and City Attorney Moses Garcia, so it negotiated exit deals with the two earlier this year. Deputy City Manager Rod Wensing and Assistant City Attorney Junglas took on “acting” roles as the city considered how to fill vacancies. Municipal Judge Geri Joneson also resigned in February, clearing out three positions directly reporting to the council.

Those departures were followed by the resignations of the city’s economic development director, Kelly Jones-Sage, who cited the toxic atmosphere in Loveland as the reason, and of Scottsdale’s city manager, City Clerk Delynn Coldiron, and Development Services Director Brett Limbaugh Thompson. He was one of two finalists for the city manager position in Loveland, Arizona. Both he and Bob Cowell, Jr., the former city manager of Roanoke, Virginia, were interviewed by Loveland City Council members on October 4, and Thompson was selected.

According to the decision to be considered by the council next Tuesday, Thompson will be paid an annual base salary of $305,000, as well as vehicle allowance, starting December 30.

James Thompson

Thompson, the city manager of Scottsdale, Arizona, was one of two finalists for the Loveland city manager position. Both he and Bob Cowell, Jr., the former city manager of Roanoke, Virginia, were interviewed by Loveland City Council members on October 4, and Thompson was selected.

According to the decision to be considered by the council next Tuesday, Thompson will be paid an annual base salary of $305,000, as well as vehicle allowance, starting December 30.

Thompson, who has a master’s degree in business administration from Regis University in Denver, was hired as city manager in Scottsdale in 2017, retiring in 2022 but being rehired. He has more than 35 years of experience in municipal government, including 28 years as a city manager, and has worked in Sterling as well as in Bothell, Washington, and the Arizona cities of Tucson, Casa Grande and Bullhead City.

He has served on the Arizona State Personnel Board since 2004 and as an adjunct professor in the Department of Public Affairs at Arizona State University since 2011.

As Scottsdale city manager, Thompson was responsible for a $2.3 billion annual budget. He helped implement priority-based budgeting to ensure the budget was tied to the value of services and programs, according to a news release from the City of Loveland. He negotiated new economic development projects, including the headquarters of Axon International and Choice Hotels International.

He has worked with the International City/County Management Association, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the International Municipal Clerks Association, and the Government Finance Officers Association.

Vincent Junglas

Junglas joined the City of Loveland as city attorney, was promoted to assistant city attorney in 2021, and has served as acting city attorney since Garcia’s departure in April. Junglas has represented only the municipal government during his 13-year career. He previously worked for the City of Greeley and was affiliated with the Weld County, Larimer County and Colorado Bar Associations, as well as the Colorado Municipal League.

His legal expertise covers areas such as land use, parks and recreation, law enforcement, First Amendment issues, the Colorado Taxpayers Bill of Rights, and economic development, particularly the subsidy-free negotiation of the Amazon development agreement in Loveland. He has addressed community issues such as youth vaping, homelessness and the camping ban, and regularly provided the City Council with legal tools to enact policy.

Junglas graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2006 and Michigan State University School of Law in 2011.

Under the terms of the contract, the council will on Tuesday consider paying Junglas a base salary of $280,000 per year, effective Nov. 4.

Jennifer Edgley

Edgley, who has more than 10 years of courtroom experience as a public defender and appellate attorney, serves as a housing attorney at Colorado Legal Services, where he focuses on helping tenants deal with a variety of housing-related challenges, including eviction cases.

After graduating from Brigham Young University and St. After earning a law degree at the University of St. Thomas, Edgley began his career as an assistant public defender in Florida, representing clients in misdemeanor and criminal cases. He later became manager of community integration services. He collaborated to create and implement a pilot program to reduce recidivism for the 17th Judicial Circuit in Fort Lauderdale, worked with criminal justice stakeholders in the operation of the Broward County Community Court, spearheaded bond reform efforts that reduced jail overpopulation, and spearheaded efforts to achieve criminal justice. Funding for the Public Defender’s office community programs.

While Thompson and Junglas’ employment contracts are “indefinite”, Edgley’s appointment will initially be for two years at an annual salary of $175,000. He would start his duty on November 25.

If appointments are confirmed, the city will continue the hiring process for each candidate prior to their scheduled start dates.

Dallas Heltzell is a reporter for BizWest. His work is frequently published online at: KUNC.org. Contact Dallas at: [email protected]