Carbondale City Manager Kevin Baity is stepping down.
City officials announced his resignation Thursday morning, saying it is a mutual decision that is in the best interest of the City of Carbondale.
Mayor Mike Henry says an evaluation of Baity's performance conducted by city council members and department heads led to him stepping down.
"I really can't address specifics of it. But, what we were looking for was what areas of his performance the previous council had been concerned about, and we looked at those areas, and when we saw little or no improvement, or actually a little bit of a lower score on those areas, it led us to take the action."
Mayor Henry says this was not an easy decision.
"It was difficult for me personally, because I'm friends with Mr. Baity. But, we're running this city like a business. That's what we're going to do. We are going to do what's best for Carbondale. And we thought we could just be a little bit better coming up with someone else, with new ideas."
Although Baity's resignation is effective Thursday, he is technically on paid leave until his severance package can be finalized.
Mayor Henry says interim candidates could be interviewed as soon as next week. He says it may take six months to find a permanent replacement.
