By Chase Kamp
Superior Sun
The Superior Town Council approved the hiring of K. Kane Graves to serve as both town manager and town attorney at its meeting on Jan. 17. The move comes after the dismissal of former town attorneys Chris Wencker and Chad Niven, who had served their roles for about two years.
Graves previously worked a similar dual role for the City of Globe, serving as the town manager and attorney for the Gila County city.
The hiring of Graves also shifted the title of Rita Wentzel, who was appointed interim town manager in early 2012. Wentzel will now be serving as finance director/town clerk.
Mayor Jayme Valenzuela said the council made a decision that he hopes will straighten the town’s fiscal ship. “Hopefully things will move forward,” he said. “We had a lot of issues at the beginning of this year that we needed a professional to handle. We need good sound advice and I think Mr. Graves will provide that for us.”