Arvada City Manager Craig Kocian will retire this fall, ending 25 years with the Jefferson County city.
Kocian, who started working in Arvada in 1972, became the nation’s youngest large-city manager in 1976 when he took over Arvada at the age of 31.
He left Arvada for more than a decade when he became assistant city manager and city manager in Oakland, Calif., but returned to his old job in 1997 and has been there ever since.
“Craig Kocian has made and indelible impact on the Arvada community, and for that the Arvada City Council is truly grateful,” Arvada Mayor Bob Frie said in a prepared statement from the city. “His shoes will be tough to fill.”
Kocian will remain in his job until Sept. 30. The city plans a national search for a replacement.
