The man in charge of Denver city and county employees abruptly resigned this week.
Career Service Authority director Don Cordova is pursuing a career in the private sector, spokeswoman Kathy Maloney said.
“We are going to miss him at CSA and throughout the city – as a leader, as a colleague and as a friend,” she said.
In an e-mail, Cordova called his time as director “a labor of love.”
“I am proud of the efforts of my staff, and hope the employees of the city will benefit from our efforts for years to come,” he said.
City Council members said in Cordova’s 18-month tenure he oversaw tough times marked by low employee morale across the city.
Councilman Doug Linkhart and other city officials said their dealings with Cordova were rare but generally pleasant.
“I appreciated his openness,” Linkhart said, calling Cordova an out-loud thinker on topics like merit-based pay and bonuses, of which he was an advocate.
But Cordova’s openness may not have fallen in line with that of the mayor’s office, Linkhart said.
“He’s been very supportive of the employees and also looking at undoing some of the reform that had been done earlier,” he said.
Cordova’s exit is a part of ongoing turnover within the city’s administration, Linkhart said.
“It’s like a revolving door,” City Council President Michael Hancock said of the again-vacant position at CSA. “The leadership needs to be stabilized over at that office, there’s no question about that.”
His predecessor, Kelly Brough, served for more than two years before him. Brough is now Hickenlooper’s chief of staff.
Staff writer Sara Crocker can be reached at 303-954-1661 or at scrocker@denverpost.com
