Washoe manager gone after 21 years

Wednesday, April 29, 1998 | 9:31 a.m.

After 21 years on the job, Thursday is his last day.

County Commissioners decided Tuesday night to cut him free with a $118,515 severance package.

"I'm disappointed and I'm shocked," MacIntyre said.

Commissioners said earlier this month they wanted to clear the way for a manager who would take a harder line. They said on Tuesday that MacIntyre isn't being fired, but the decision to replace him was unanimous. Assistant Manager Katy Simon will fill the job on an interim basis.

Commissioners said the county faces serious budget problems and MacIntyre is too easy going to make the hard decisions when agency heads appeal to him instead of making necessary cuts.

"It's slash-and-cut time and we need a slasher and a cutter," Commissioner Mike Mouliot said earlier. "We are running into hard times and we are going to need a confrontational style."

Commissioners are scrambling to make financial ends meet in the face of a projected shortfall in state-collected sales tax. Department heads were told to reduce spending requests by 7.5 percent and $20 million was cut from the proposed $300 million budget.