Mike Letcher has done Tucson a major favor by agreeing to postpone his retirement and step in to be city manager.
Letcher, who had been deputy manager under freshly ousted City Manager Mike Hein, was set to retire in November.
But after booting Hein – an extraordinarily stupid move – the council seems to have suddenly recognized the importance of having some local knowledge and continuity on board.
The city is in dire financial straits, is without a police chief and is at risk of losing its tax-increment financing arrangement for the Rio Nuevo downtown redevelopment project.
If ever Tucson seriously needed knowledgeable help, that time is now. And Letcher, who has helped to manage Tucson for eight years, is the only knowledgeable help left in sight.
So the city is fortunate, indeed, that he has agreed to take this job.
Letcher was city manager in Sedona for seven years as well, so management is nothing new for him.
Working with such a divided City Council will pose its own challenges, however, we’re sure. We wish him luck – and we thank him for sticking around.