By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – In a tense and closely divided vote Monday night, the Safford City Council terminated City Manager John Cassella effective immediately without cause, citing the terms of his employment agreement. The motion, made by Council Member Dusti Brantner and seconded by Council Member Alma Flores, also appointed Assistant City Manager Eric Bejarano as interim city manager until a permanent replacement is selected.
The final roll-call vote was 4-3 in favor of termination, with Vice Mayor Arnold Lopez and Council Members Dusti Brantner, Alma Flores, and Luke Arbizo voting in favor, and Mayor Richard Ortega and Council Members Steve McGaughey and Brad Hemphill voting against.
Before the vote, Councilman McGaughey expressed discomfort with both the underlying issues, which he said could not be publicly discussed, and the “process” leading to the sudden motion. No further explanation of the specific reasons for termination was provided during the open session.
The decision comes just eight months after the same council, in September 2024, voted 4-3 to increase Cassella’s salary to $190,000 annually, add a $500 monthly contribution to his deferred compensation plan, and approve a generous severance package that includes 12 months of salary and health benefits if terminated without cause. A provision in the contract had protected Cassella from no-cause termination for the first six months following the election of a new council.
Heated public comment precedes vote
Public comment during the call-to-the-public portion of the meeting was overwhelmingly critical of Cassella’s leadership and city administration practices. Several longtime residents and business owners accused the city manager of creating division between Safford, Thatcher, and Graham County, driving businesses away, and fostering a hostile work environment for city employees.
Local businessman Justin Mack, owner of NAPA Auto Parts stores across Arizona and New Mexico, told the council he drove back from his new Gallup store specifically for the meeting. Mack recounted an embarrassing encounter with town managers in Snowflake and Taylor, who asked, “What’s going on with the City of Safford?” He urged the council to hire a local city manager with “a vested interest in our community” rather than continuing to bring in out-of-town administrators.
Mary Bingham, former Safford City Council Member and a frequent critic of City Hall, claimed the city’s planning and zoning department under Cassella has made it “so hard” for new businesses that some are leaving the area entirely. She warned that a shrinking tax base would force residents to pay higher taxes and utility rates. Bingham also criticized the city’s budgeting process, saying department budgets are approved in broad lumps with “absolutely no oversight,” citing the controversial $20,000 resident ID-card system – purchased before council approval – as an example of potential “fraud and abuse.”
Resident Nathaniel Mueller called the new landfill and library ID-card requirement “a principle” issue. He questioned why the city needs to know how many dependents live in each household. Comparing the policy to being forced to wear “a yellow badge,” Mueller declared, “Things are messed up,” and vowed to keep attending meetings.
Several speakers echoed reports of low employee morale, with Bingham relaying accounts of staff describing “narcissistic treatment” from the city manager and some employees quietly seeking jobs elsewhere out of fear of retaliation.
What’s next?
Safford Assistant City Manager Eric Bejarano was named Interim City Manager by the vote to handle the duties of city manager as the council begins recruitment for a permanent city manager.
Bejarano was previously selected as Assistant City Manager in June 2024, after serving as Director of the Eastern Arizona College Small Business Development Center.
Before his time at Eastern Arizona College, he was the business/area manager for Air Methods in southern and central Arizona and western New Mexico for eight years. He has served as an associate faculty member at the University of Phoenix in Tucson and as an independent instructor at Tucson Medical Center/GEICO in Tucson. He is also an independent instructor for the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, providing child passenger safety courses in the Gila Valley.
Bejarano retired from the Tucson Police Department as a motorcycle patrol officer in 2014. Before his law enforcement career, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years as a telecommunications center watch supervisor (Sgt/E-5). He holds a master’s degree in counseling/human relations and a bachelor’s degree in justice systems policy and planning from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Liberty University. He is also a Safford Lion and a member of the Safford Rotary Club. Additionally, Eric serves on the boards for the Graham County Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties.
