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California woman to fill Shady Cove post By Melissa Martin SHADY COVE � The City Council voted to hire the deputy manager of a 14,000-population city near Modesto, Calif., to be the new administrator at Shady Cove, population 2,315. The city will negotiate a contract with Elise Smurzynski, of Riverbank, Calif., with a salary between $46,000 and $52,000. "I am extremely pleased," said Mayor Tom Anderson. Last week he spent more than an hour taking four candidates on individual tours of Shady Cove. "Elise has shown a lot of initiative. She�s contacted me by e-mail, stopped by the office, brought to the council samples of pamphlets she made for Riverbank and personalized for Shady Cove and did a lot of research and reading," Anderson said. "I think she will be very refreshing for Shady Cove." Smurzynski has searched the Mail Tribune�s online archives for Shady Cove news and has started reading the Oregon Constitution, he said. And Anderson will add a thick binder and a checklist to her reading list. The Shady Cove City Council last week also interviewed Christine Beard, of Susanville, Calif., and Henry Luxem, of Green Bay, Wis., but Smurzynski "stood head and shoulders above the rest," Anderson said. Smurzynski has 20 years� experience in municipal and county government and holds a bachelor�s degree in business administration from California State University at Turlock. Her husband was raised in Gold Hill and is glad to be returning to the Rogue Valley to be closer to family, Anderson said. The city hopes to have the office occupied by Oct. 1. The previous leader, Jerry L�Estrange, the first administrator in this 28-year-old city�s history, resigned to take a job in Colorado. The city still needs to negotiate salary, vacation and relocation allowance portions of the at-will contract, Anderson said. Non-negotiable items include requiring six weeks� notice upon resignation and offering 90 days� notification upon termination. "I expect her to be here long after we elected officials are gone," Anderson said. In other action Thursday, the City Council: Followed in the Medford City Council�s footsteps by endorsing Measure 87, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow local governments to use zoning laws to regulate sexually-oriented businesses. Approved a $15,000 contract with Jackson County Roads to patch, overlay and repair cracks in 10 city streets this fall. The work will be done on Deer Park Lane, Hart Circle, White Tail Lane, Black Tail Lane, Buckhorn Lane, Schoolhouse Lane, Walnut Lane, Williams Lane, Cleveland Street and Brophy Street. Earlier this month appointed Alison Curtis to fill the position vacated after the death of Wen McCaleb. Curtis served on the planning commission, citizen�s advisory committee and strategic planning and managed the seasonal flag program for Shady Cove. She is running for the position in November. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA