The city’s national leaders unanimously appointed Scott Huth as an acting city director on Tuesday until the highest administrative position is permanently fulfilled.
Its role entered into force on Wednesday. Huth, a retiree from the California public employee retirement system (Calpers), will be paid $ 130.88 per hour. As Calpers requires, his salary has been set at the same rate as the former municipal director and he will not receive services or incentives. It is also limited to working 960 hours per exercise.
In 2023, the City hired Huth as an interim city director due to personnel changes in the office of the municipal director. Previously, he was a municipal director of Del Mar and director of public services in Coronado.
The appointment occurred after a stormy vote and divided at the end of last week by the municipal council to oust Ben Martinez, following assembly complaints concerning the low morale of the staff, the mismanagement budget and the global instability at the Town Hall.
Friday, via a 3-1 vote, the municipal council accepted “a mutual separation”. According to Martinez’s employment contract, he will receive “a lump sum” of six months’ salary and all the vacation and vacation holidays accumulated. Stephen Manganiello, director of engineering and public works of the city, was acting municipal director until the officials approve Huth.
The vice-mayor Marcus Bush voted in the opposition and the member of the Council Jose Rodriguez has refrained from voting, but accused his colleagues in public comments to break with a motion on session behind closed doors, they had done earlier last week and called the move to replace Martinez “impulsive” and at a time when the budgetary city for a new budgetary year.
Tensions continued at the meeting of the Tuesday open session to appoint Huth.
A group that has repeatedly accused Mayor Ron Morrison, his assistant, Josie Flores, and Martinez of wrongly influenced a controversial development project that the planning commission rejected last year, raised these same concerns and declared that the director of the interim city was to supervise the allegations of fraud and abuse.
Rodriguez expressed his continuous disapproval of the way in which his council colleagues managed Martinez’s replacement. He suggested that civil servants start a national research for a replacement.
The member of the Luz Molina council said that the decision to separate from Martinez was necessary to restore stability at the town hall.
“Calling him impulsive is absurd. He ignores the months of malfunction,” she said. “At this stage, the action was late. Inaction would not have kept at any time of stability. ”
Martinez said in an SMS at San Diego Union-Tribune on Saturday that he had “really appreciated” the service of the national city. He joined the city for the first time in 1996, working for the community of community development now dissolved. He also worked as director of neighborhood services and acting director of community development. In August 2023, following an unexpected turnover to the post of municipal director, the municipal council appointed him acting municipal director. In December of the same year, he was hired for the permanent role.
“Now, having been a municipal director, very unexpectedly, and during a difficult period for the national city after the death of the former manager Armando Vergara, I hope I have done good to provide additional progress to the organization,” he added.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
