“We Made It”: Colton Marks First Meeting with Full Department Leadership in More Than Four Years
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District 4 Councilmember John Echevarria speaks during a Colton City Council meeting, underscoring the message he delivered on April 15 as he marked the first time in over four years that all department director positions are filled.
For the first time in over four years, every department director seat at Colton City Hall was filled — and occupied — during a City Council meeting. The moment, described as “historic” by Councilmember John Echevarria, unfolded at the April 15 meeting and marked a rare show of full-staff unity that city officials say reflects progress following a stretch of vacancies, retirements, and interim appointments.
“I say this with all positivity, I’ve been a council member for 4 years, 4 months, and 2 weeks, and this is the first meeting in my term that we’ve had all the director positions filled and they are all here in attendance,” said Echevarria. “We made it. Congratulations — and this is a symbol of the hard work from City Manager Bill Smith for appointing these positions.”
The announcement came during the Mayor and Council Oral Reports and Comments portion of the meeting — an item typically buried at the end of the agenda and, according to Echevarria, rarely heard by a full room. On April 15, it began roughly an hour and 45 minutes into the meeting, but to his surprise, many remained in attendance.
“You all are the real deal,” he said. “We had interims, vacations, absences, and retirements, but I wanted to put this out there. I’m excited that there is still this amount of people here still — usually by the time we speak, there are only 7 or 8 people left here. It’s a big deal because we, the council, have some important things to say and the room empties out. It’s frustrating because we save this and wait until the end and everyone’s gone.”
He joked that some directors were caught mid-departure by his shoutout.
City Manager Bill Smith, credited with stabilizing the city’s leadership team, acknowledged the effort of staff to keep services running despite challenges.
“Thank you to the council for all the kind comments to staff,” Smith said. “I am lucky to lead a great group of staff from top to bottom. I struggle to figure out how they get so much done with the numbers that we have. It speaks to the character of our staff in every department.”
While the moment marked a symbolic shift, it also served as a reminder of the staffing gaps the city has faced — and the persistence required to rebuild a complete leadership bench.
