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SAN BENITO — In the wake of the May 6 election’s call for change, City Manager Manuel De La Rosa’s salary is facing a $45,000 cut.
Last week, the city’s Economic Development Corporation’s board of directors agreed to slash the agency’s $45,000 share of De La Rosa’s overall $175,000 salary, nearly two years after the city’s past commission approved the $45,000 bonus as part of his appointment to the post of EDC chief financial officer, giving him oversight of the agency’s operations.
At part of the EDC’s contract, the agency pays the city $45,000 in exchange for city’s oversight of operations.
In turn, the money goes into the city’s general fund, from which it pays De La Rosa.
Now, city commissioners are set to consider the EDC board’s move.
EDC no longer needs oversight
During a May 25 meeting, EDC board members agreed to terminate the one-year contract behind De La Rosa’s appointment to the EDC post, along with his bonus.
Board member Deborah Morales, who defeated longtime City Commissioner Rene Villafranco in the May 6 election, shifting the commission’s balance of power, called on board members to consider terminating the contract expiring next month.
“I didn’t think it was needed,” she said during an interview, referring to De La Rosa’s oversight of the agency.
When the past commission agreed to appoint De La Rosa to the agency’s CEO position, officials believed the EDC’s operations required management, Morales said.
“At that point, we thought that the board needed oversight,” she said.
Then last October, commissioners hired Ramiro Aleman to take over as the EDC’s executive director after former Director Rebeca Castillo resigned about three months earlier.
“We have a full staff now at EDC,” Morales said. “I didn’t think we needed the oversight anymore.”
Meanwhile, Morales said she believes the city manager’s job duties include overseeing the EDC.
“I believe it’s his job anyway — part of his job as city manager,” she said. “In the past, no city manager was compensated.”
Commission to consider EDC action
Now, commissioners are set to consider the EDC board’s move to terminate De La Rosa’s contract while slashing his salary.
“We’ll have to look at it,” Mayor Rick Guerra, who serves as a non-voting member of the EDC, said during an interview.
“The board made a decision — the EDC is paying,” he said, referring to De La Rosa’s $45,000 bonus. “They feel Mr. Aleman is doing a good job. At least, he needs to keep the city manager abreast in terms of the EDC.”
Election shifts De La Rosa support
On the commission, De La Rosa has lost critical support, with Commissioner Carol Lynn Sanchez remaining his last backer.
In the May 6 election, residents voted in sweeping change, shifting the commission’s balance of power amid campaigns in which the city’s administration became a top issue.
While Morales handily defeated Villafranco, Guerra won a landslide victory in a three-man race, beating former Commissioner Rene Garcia and former Mayor Ben Gomez.
Since De La Rosa took office in late 2015, Villafranco had supported him amid at least two pushes to fire him from the city manager’s post.
Meanwhile, Garcia and Gomez had also supported De La Rosa during their tenures in office.
In the May election, voters also elected Tom Goodman to the commission, months after he called on commissioners to fire De La Rosa.
Background
While De La Rosa’s EDC contract expires July 1, the date also marks the start of the last year of his three-year contract under which he serves as city manager.
On that date, based on his contract, De La Rosa’s also up for a $10,000 pay increase following the past commission’s high marks on his annual job evaluation.
