Huntington Beach’s top managerial official has just accepted a new job.
City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft said Friday she had just accepted a job offer as city manager of Colorado Springs. She was one of three finalists for the position, including the city’s interim city manager.
Culbreth-Graft must give 60 days notice to leave, making her last day of work Jan. 2. Her new job begins Jan. 7. Council members have said they knew for quite some time that she was looking to move on.
Culbreth-Graft has said she was looking for a new job for some personal family reasons as well as because she felt she had accomplished her major goals in Huntington Beach.
“I’m really excited about this,” she said today of her new move. “Of course I love this community, but I also love that community too.”
The city administrator gathered high marks from council members over her three-and-a-half year tenure. Council members said last week that they were ready for the news, and they expected strong candidates to come forward in any new job search.
Council members will not discuss a plan to replace Culbreth-Graft, short term or long term, at Monday’s council meeting because open meeting laws require more notice to put an item on the agenda. They will discuss that issue at the next meeting, Nov. 19.
“That gives us a chance to work out a transition plan,” Culbreth-Graft said.
