RETIRING DOWNEY CITY MANAGER ASKS COUNCIL TO ELIMINATE HIS BENEFITS
By Eric Pierce
As Gerald Caton prepares for retirement next December after 21 years as Downey’s city manager, he is asking the city council to take away his fringe benefits in 2011—a move that Caton estimates will save the city more than $100,000.
“A great deal has already been accomplished…,” Caton wrote in an agenda memo to the city council, “but the coming year will also be critical as we face the ongoing economic challenges and transition to a largely new management team.”
Caton is asking the council to eliminate taxpayer contributions to his retirement, 20 vacation days, 11 holidays, nine days of executive leave, a city-owned vehicle and membership fees for civic organizations.
The City Council has already chosen Caton’s successor—assistant city manager Gilbert Livas, who will become the community’s seventh city manager. Livas left a partnership in a redevelopment consulting firm to come to Downey after working for the cities of Bell Gardens and Anaheim. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from UCLA and a master’s in public administration from Cal State Long Beach.
