John Arnold had already spent 17 years as city manager of municipalities in Colorado, California and North Dakota when then-Mayor Joan Wagnon hired him as Topeka’s chief administrative officer in 1998.
Having Arnold as her CAO made running Topeka’s city government “a whole lot easier” because of his deep experience and his willingness to be candid, Wagnon recalled Thursday.
Arnold, 79, died Oct. 4 in Topeka. Services haven’t yet been scheduled.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)