Henderson city manager leaving post after 17 months

By Jeremy Twitchell

Friday, March 27, 2009 | 1:13 p.m.

Henderson City Manager Mary Kay Peck is in negotiations to leave the city after 17 months on the job, Henderson officials confirmed Friday afternoon.

Peck has taken a 30-day vacation while she and the city work out the terms of an amicable separation, Henderson Councilman Steve Kirk said.

“Everyone has agreed, I think even she has agreed, that it is time for a change,” Kirk said.

Peck could not be reached for comment.

Jon Ralston, Las Vegas Sun columnist and host of "Face to Face," first reported the departure Friday morning, saying that Peck had hired an attorney.

Based on that information, Kirk said, city attorneys recommended that he not share details of what led to the split.

“If (Peck) did indeed hire a lawyer, it’s probably not something I should comment on yet,” Kirk said. “We’d like this to be amicable.”

At the time of Peck’s departure earlier this month, she had been scheduled for a contractually required annual performance evaluation during the March 17 City Council meeting. Peck was not at the meeting, however, and the evaluation was continued until April 14.

Assistant City Manger Mark Calhoun has been named acting city manager in Peck’s absence.

Peck was appointed as Henderson’s first female city manager in October 2007. She succeeded longtime manager Phil Speight, who took a position as chief of staff for then-Congressman Jon Porter.

Peck joined the city in 1995 as a zoning administrator and was promoted the following year to the position of community development director. She served in that capacity until 2005, when she became assistant city manager.

She was hand-picked by Speight and unanimously endorsed by the City Council for the city manager’s position. The city manager is tasked with overseeing the city’s day-to-day operations, much like a corporate CEO.