By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD — The City of Safford has selected three finalists from a pool of 15 applicants for the permanent City Manager position, according to Safford Human Resources Director Danielle Nelson. The candidates will be interviewed by the City Council on May 8.
The finalists are Peter Jankowski, Anthony Kozlowski, and current Interim City Manager Eric Bejarano. The selection follows the council’s decision to conduct the recruitment internally through the city’s Human Resources Department rather than hire an external search firm.
Peter Jankowski
Jankowski is a licensed attorney and U.S. Navy veteran with more than 24 years of municipal government experience across New England, Nevada, and Arizona. His background includes serving as City/Town Manager or Town Administrator in multiple communities, as well as earlier roles as Selectman, Deputy Director of Community Services, Treasurer, Planning Board and Finance Committee member, and New Hampshire State Representative.
He has held top executive positions, including City Manager of Mesquite, Nevada (appointed July 2022, resigned February 2024); Town Manager of Surfside, Florida (appointed summer 2024, terminated December 2024); and earlier, Town Manager of Cave Creek, Arizona. He also previously served as chief executive for towns in Massachusetts and Maine. Jankowski holds a Juris Doctorate from Franklin Pierce Law Center and emphasizes a hands-on, collaborative, and inclusive leadership style focused on excellent customer service, collective bargaining, and building a professional, trusting work environment. He is originally from Rollinsford, New Hampshire.
Anthony Kozlowski
Kozlowski currently serves as Assistant City Manager for Lake Havasu City, Arizona, a role he has held since June 2020. He previously worked in the Bullhead City Manager’s office, starting as an Administrative Analyst in 2017 and rising to Assistant to the City Manager by April 2019. Earlier in his career, he completed a Management Fellowship as CAO Staff Officer with San Diego County and served as Management Assistant for the City of Coolidge, Arizona.
A graduate of Arizona State University, Kozlowski holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (cum laude) and a Master’s in Public Administration. His experience includes intergovernmental relations, water issues, oversight of facilities such as the Colorado River Nature Center, and close work with mayors, city councils, state legislators, and agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management. He brings a background in public information, policy coordination, and administrative support in growing Arizona communities.
Eric Bejarano
Bejarano has served as Safford’s Assistant City Manager since June 2024 and was appointed Interim City Manager in December 2025. In January 2026, the council voted unanimously to raise his salary to $168,000 annually (retroactive to December 2025) and to guarantee his return to the assistant position if he is not selected for the permanent role. He has received public support from community members, including Graham County Supervisor John Howard, speaking as a local business owner.
Before joining the city, Bejarano directed the Eastern Arizona College Small Business Development Center. He previously spent eight years as a business/area manager for Air Methods (air medical services), covering southern and central Arizona and western New Mexico. He retired from the Tucson Police Department as a motorcycle patrol officer in 2014 after a law enforcement career and served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a telecommunications center watch supervisor (Sgt/E-5).
Bejarano holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from Liberty University, a master’s in counseling/human relations, and a bachelor’s in justice systems policy and planning from Northern Arizona University. He has taught as associate faculty at the University of Phoenix and as an independent instructor in areas including child passenger safety for the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Locally, he is active as a Safford Lion, Rotary Club member, and board member for the Graham County Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties.
The May 8 interviews mark a key step toward filling the city’s top administrative post. The council previously chose to keep the search open rather than immediately appointing Bejarano to the permanent position, citing the value of a competitive process. A final decision by the council is expected to follow the interviews.
