Palmer City Council chose John Diumenti as temporary Palmer interim city manager on Tuesday night, following the resignation of Stephen Jellie, the former city manager. The Palmer City Council chose Diumenti, who currently manages Palmer Airport, during an emergency meeting to fill the leadership void. This meeting occurred just days after Jellie resigned and immediately before another special city council session to examine the city’s budget. Jellie, who had been in the position for less than two months, resigned on October 9. As part of his departure, he agreed to a severance compensation of $75,000, equivalent to six months of his yearly income and six months of healthcare coverage.
Controversy marred Jellie’s brief reign. Several Palmer workers demanded his resignation, accusing him of undermining the city’s government system. One of Jellie’s problematic decisions was to place Palmer Police Chief Dwayne Shelton on administrative leave, which generated condemnation from several municipal employees. Last Monday, the city attorney, Sarah Heath, stated that staff argued these acts violated the municipal charter and upset the balance of power inside Palmer’s administration.
In reaction to the complaints, Jellie defended his behavior, claiming that the allegations against him were false. Despite his defense, Jellie chose to resign his position. His departure represented the third city-level role he has left since 2022. Before joining Palmer, he was the city manager of Ogdensburg, New York, from July 2020 until November 2022. With Jellie’s resignation, the Palmer City Council is now looking for a permanent successor while Diumenti fills in temporarily as the Palmer interim city manager. With persistent worries about the city’s leadership, the council is addressing the consequences of Jellie’s brief stint and its influence on city operations.
This news story was originally published by Alaska’s News Source.
