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Tuesday, February 18, 2025
NewsGovernmentNed Thomas poised to leave Milpitas for City Manager position in Boulder...

Ned Thomas poised to leave Milpitas for City Manager position in Boulder City, Nevada

After having served as City Manager of Milpitas for the last 15 months, it looks like Ned Thomas is headed elsewhere. 

This evening, the Council of the City of Boulder City in Nevada appointed Thomas as their new City Manager. 

Just a few months ago, Thomas learned that the position was open and applied for the job. 

“In my interview with Boulder City, I told them I was happy here in Milpitas. But this kind of opportunity doesn’t come up very often,” Thomas told The Beat in an interview. “I’m familiar with Boulder and thought it might be a great place to work.” 

Although Thomas has worked in Milpitas for nearly 8 years, he owns a house in Henderson, Nevada, which is right near Boulder City. For years, Thomas has been working in Milpitas during the week and flying back to Nevada on the weekends to be with his wife and kids. He tries not to go every single weekend, though, as it can get expensive. On occasion, he has City events he needs to attend on weekends, so he stays close by at his rental apartment in Fremont. 

“It’s been a lot of back and forth,” Thomas said. 

Thomas received the offer to work for the City of Boulder City just before Thanksgiving. His current employment agreement with the City of Milpitas expires on June 30, 2025. He had been officially appointed City Manager in October of 2023; previous to that, he was selected to serve as Acting City Manager in June 2023.  

Thomas has been Milpitas’ fourth City Manager in the last 6 years. The previous City Manager, Steve McHarris, is currently engaged in a legal battle with the City of Milpitas, citing wrongful termination. 

On January 3 of this year, Thomas sent a memo to all the members of the Milpitas City Council, asking if they were open to discussing the possible extension of his contract. 

“The anniversary of our current agreement was October 12, 2024, and I am not aware of any direction given or action taken by the Council related to extending the contract beyond June 2025,” Thomas wrote in the memo. “This memo is my formal request to the Council to initiate that discussion now so that I will have ample time to seek new employment if the Council decides not to extend the current contract.” 

However, the Milpitas City Council met in closed session on the night of Tuesday, January 7, where they decided to decline the opportunity to negotiate a contract for Thomas to continue as City Manager. 

“My memo clearly outlined my position, and I had hoped to have a discussion about those items,” Thomas shared with The Beat. “The response was that a majority does not want to pursue a new contract right now.” 

This response from the Milpitas City Council made things crystal-clear for Thomas: he would move toward the new position in Nevada. 

The Beat reached out to Mayor Carmen Montano about why they declined to negotiate a new contract, but she would not comment on this story. And the City of Milpitas’ Human Resources Director Kelli Parmley told The Beat, “I can’t comment on any personnel matters.”

According to Thomas’ current contract with Milpitas, his annual base salary is $279,000. In the role of Boulder City’s City Manager, Thomas’ contract will have an annual base salary of $220,000.  

It’s uncertain when Thomas will start in his new position, but The Beat will be publishing any updates as they come in.



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1 COMMENT

  1. Those of us who have worked in corporate America understand the value of keeping experienced staffers. Apparently, the Milpitas City Council has not learned that simple lesson since “Thomas has been Milpitas’ fourth City Manager in the last 6 years.” Perhaps Council members Montano and Chua are still abusing their power as the McHarris lawsuit has claimed. Find the details at https://meansfordemocracy.org/blog.html#mcharris

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