Good morning, it’s Monday April 12th and this is The Herald Review’s Daily Chirp podcast. We’re bringing you a closer look at one of our top stories, along with other important things going on in our community. 

Today - In a four to three vote, The Bisbee mayor and City Council have accepted the resignation letter of City Manager Theresa Coleman. City Clerk Ashlee Coronado has been appointed as the interim City Manager. 

Before we begin, some local history.

The Town of Benson gets its name from settler Alfred Monroe Benson. Mr. Benson's purchase of a 402-acre tract along the Smithfield - Fayetteville Road in 1874 initiated the settlement of the area. Later, during the 1880’s Benson sold land to incoming settlers, many of them - farmers. 

The Town was officially incorporated in 1887.

Today’s history is brought to you by Benson Hospital - they’re doing more than treating illnesses in Benson, they're building a healthier community. Benson Hospital is now collaborating with the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona to provide diaper assistance to families in need. For more information visit their website at bensonhospital.org.

Also, The Daily Chirp podcast is giving away 5 Amazon Echo Dots - one every month now through July. You can enter for your chance to win twice a day! Today's code is RECYCLE and find the other codeword in our “Daily Chirp Podcast Alert” e-newsletter. To enter the sweepstakes go to myheraldreview.com, again today's codeword is: RECYCLE

Now, our feature story. 

The Bisbee mayor and City Council have accepted the resignation letter of City Manager Theresa Coleman. City Clerk Ashlee Coronado has been appointed as the interim City Manager. Neither decision was by a unanimous vote.

As we talked about on the podcast last week, Coleman has been battered by disparaging comments on social media over the past year and a half. The comments came from residents who wanted her dismissed because of her commitment to standing by the city code. 

During the April 6th council meeting city staff showed their support for Coleman in a letter. Listen to Thursday's episode of our podcast to hear it.

In short, the letter went on to say the negative remarks on Coleman have an unwelcome impact on the city. Forty-eight employees from every department gave their support.

However, the strong support by city employees was not enough to sway the mayor and council during Thursday’s meeting.

Councilmember Joan Hansen said she found the proceeding totally appalling.

As you just heard, Hansen noted that Coleman’s resignation was not a voluntary one. It came after Mayor Budge gave her an ultimatum last Monday to resign or be fired.

And many council members spoke up about the decision during the meeting..,

Councilmember Frank Davis asked what problems are we solving for the city by accepting the resignation?

Davis said that to him, it seems to me Mrs. Coleman has become the fall guy for the city’s problems. 

Councilmember Pawlik made comments on the decision as well, saying that he’s unhappy with the way this crisis developed. It was unprofessional, secretive and lacking due process. 

Finally, councilmember Leslie Johns said that the situation is very complex and sometimes relationships break down to the point where moving on is the best thing for everyone.

Mayor Budge expressed that this was not an easy decision for him. Then, in a four to three vote, Coleman’s resignation was accepted with Hansen, Pawlik and Davis voting no.

There was no discussion on when Coleman would leave and Coronado would start. There was also no discussion on Coleman’s severance package or what Coronado’s salary would be.

To stay up to date on this story visit us at myheraldreview.com

Thanks for listening, before we continue, a quick message from our sponsors, Prestige Family Living. 

Now, we’d like to take a moment to highlight a local 7-on-7 coed adult soccer league.

brought to you by ApexNetwork Physical Therapy in Benson and Sierra Vista. They’re doing more than just treating patients, they’re helping patients get back to living their daily lives. Using extensive knowledge, their therapists treat each patient one-on-one, focusing on individual care. To learn more, go to ApexNetworkPT.com.

A 7-on-7 coed adult soccer league is underway with a new season scheduled to start in May.

There are two games every Wednesday on the new turf soccer fields at the Cyr Center Park. 

Each season runs for six weeks with a tournament at the end and a league champion being crowned. 

The organization behind it all? Playfooty.com. Footy is an adult soccer league - they believe soccer should be accessible to everyone. The concept behind Footy is to create a highly competitive league, that’s also easy to join. 

Mart Nijland, the founder of Playfooty.com, lives in Europe while his sister, Diana, runs the league in Sierra Vista. Diana also runs a 24-team men’s league in Tucson.

Diana said there are five teams in the Sierra Vista league. Each team has a maximum of 13 players and there must be at least three females on the field at all times.

To play in the league in Sierra Vista it’s $40 per team per week or $240 for a full season.

For information about the league or to learn more about the upcoming season visit Playfooty.com.

Next, an upcoming event in our community that you should know about -- brought to you by our sponsors, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative.

Are you looking to start or continue your college education? Mark your calendars, because Cochise College will begin their summer 2021 registration on May 1st. You can schedule an appointment with an advisor by emailing them at advising@cochise.edu, or by calling them at 520-515-0500.

Finally - we’d like to remember the life of  Marilyn, or Kay, Ballard. Kay was born in Montana in 1941. She was raised part time in the Gallatin valley area by her grandparents and part time in Butte by her parents.

Kay married Joseph Kennedy in 1963 and they welcomed their son Jeff in 1964. Kay and Joe were divorced in 1986 and she remarried in 1997 to Wilbert “Lee” Ballard. She and Lee lived in Coolidge for two years before moving to Sierra Vista Arizona in 1999.

Kay was a very devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints serving in several different callings in the 1st Ward.

Kay is survived by her son Jeff, her grandson, her sister, brother, and numerous cousins.

There will be a funeral service at the LDS church at 1000 Taylor Drive in Sierra Vista on April 24th at 9:00 am. Thank you for taking a moment with us today to remember and celebrate Kay’s life.

Thanks for tuning in to the Herald Review podcast today, join us again on Tuesday! And remember, the Herald Review is here for you with local news you can trust. For more information on any of the stories you heard about today, visit us at myheraldreview.com. Right now you can become a member starting at just $1.99 per week.