AGOURA HILLS : Anderson Assumes Temporary City Post

David Anderson, community development and planning director for Agoura Hills, has been named acting city manager to replace Terry Matz, who plans to resign next month.

Anderson will take over March 2 and will serve until a permanent replacement can be found for Matz, said Mayor Pro Tem Ed Corridori. The search for a new city manager is expected to take about three months, he said.

“David is the logical interim choice for city manager,” Corridori said Friday. “It would have been very difficult to bring somebody in from the outside. You would spend as much time trying to get that person up to speed.”

Matz resigned to become city manager in the Orange County town of Stanton.

The appointment of Anderson, 42, comes at a time of turmoil in the city. A group trying to recall the council has threatened to sue to force the city to validate petition signatures that would have forced a recall election.

Barbara Murphy, leader of the recall group, said Friday that she hopes Anderson does not keep the job on a permanent basis. She called Anderson “an autocrat, extremely inflexible and unwilling to compromise,” who has created a climate unfriendly to business.

Corridori defended Anderson, saying he is obligated to abide by city laws in dealing with business. “He is not supposed to make exceptions,” Corridori said. “I think he is getting a bum rap.”

Asked how he felt about the controversy surrounding him, Anderson said, “My goal is to basically do the best I can to serve the community and council.”

Anderson, who lives in Moorpark, said he has not decided whether to apply for the job on a permanent basis.