Government & Politics  January 30, 2025

Louisville names new city manager

Mystery still surrounds ex-manager’s resignation

LOUISVILLE — Louisville officials voted this week in favor of hiring Diana Langley, Yuba City, California’s city manager since 2021, as the Boulder County municipality’s new city manager. 

Contract negotiations must take place before Langley assumes the role as Louisville’s top unelected city official. Louisville mayor Chris Leh and councilmember Judi Kern will lead negotiations for the city. 

“The quality of our finalists was terrific,” Leh said in a prepared statement. “It made the decision challenging, but that’s a good challenge to have. Diana’s leadership style, experience, and insights about Louisville challenges and opportunities deeply impressed the City Council. Our unanimous vote speaks volumes about the confidence we have in her moving forward.”

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Should she take the job, Langley will succeed previous Louisville city manager Jeff Durbin, whose resignation last year remains mysterious six months later.

Durbin resigned after city officials began probing an unspecified “personnel matter” related to the then-city manager. Durbin could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The Durbin personnel matter came to light last summer when Louisville City Council held a special meeting on June 19 that included an executive session — held outside of the view of everyone other than members of Louisville City Council; Louisville city attorney Kathleen Kelly; and attorney Marni Kloster, described by Louisville mayor Chris Leh as a “special counsel.” The executive session was “for the purpose of discussing a personnel matter involving the city manager, an employee directly appointed by the City Council,” Kelly said at the time. 

At the end of the hours-long executive session, Louisville City Council voted, the motion language said, to “authorize the mayor and special counsel to take such actions as necessary for further handling of this matter, including, to the extent appropriate, an investigation.”

City officials have repeatedly declined to comment on the nature of the personnel matter.

“This is a personnel matter for which, at this time, I cannot comment, but if and when the city can comment we will,” a Louisville spokesperson said in an email after the June 19 special meeting.

“There’s not an awful lot that can or should be said right now by any of us,” Leh said during a July 2024 Louisville City Council meeting. “… This process is one we’ve taken very, very seriously.”

A city spokesperson told BizWest this week that actually “there was no investigation” into Durbin conducted by Louisville officials. 

While the City Council did authorize an investigation, one was apparently never initiated. When asked for clarification on the city’s process regarding the handling of the Durbin matter, the Louisville spokesperson said, “All that I can confirm is that there was no investigation.”

City officials have not described the content of last year’s executive-session discussions, nor have they provided rationale for authorizing an investigation into the Durbin personnel matter but not initiating one. The city has provided no details on the circumstances that led to Durbin’s resignation. Members of the Louisville City Council did not respond to requests for comment from BizWest.

The city’s announcement of Langley’s job offer this week does specifically mention Durbin, but does not provide any context for his resignation.

“Louisville’s process to recruit a new city manager began in August 2024, following the resignation of former city manager Jeff Durbin,” the Louisville press release said. “The City contracted with Bob Murray & Associates, a national search firm, to assist in the search.”

Louisville officials voted this week in favor of hiring Diana Langley, Yuba City, California’s city manager since 2021, as the Boulder County municipality’s new city manager. 

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A Maryland native, Lucas has worked at news agencies from Wyoming to South Carolina before putting roots down in Colorado.
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