ADELANTO—After some 18 weeks since he was enlisted to fill the role of interim city manager and nearly seven weeks after being given a contract as full-time city manager, Thomas Thornton has resigned from that position with the city of Adelanto.
He will nonetheless retain his posts as city engineer and public works director with the cash-strapped municipality, even though the overwhelming difficulty of keeping Adelanto on its financial tracks has resulted in a mutual decision by the city council and Thornton that he should step down as the city’s top administrator.
In 2013 the city council declared that city was in a state of financial emergency and sought to have city residents impose a new tax on themselves to shore City Hall up financially. Voters rejected that proposal, however, and former city manager Jim Hart’s efforts to generate revenue through a host of strategies foundered. Ultimately, he retired in February, as he was eligible to pull a comfortable pension and was no longer able to deal effectively with the city’s deteriorating financial circumstance.
Thornton will remain employed and active with the city in the capacity in which he has experience, overseeing civil engineering projects. His resignation abrogates the sixth-month contract he signed May 12 setting him in place as city manager. The city will now solicit applications from experienced city manager candidates.