Roma city manager to retire in June

After more than 20 years with the city, Roma City Manager Crisanto Salinas is set to retire when his contract expires in June.

Salinas, 62, confirmed his retirement last week, citing health problems.

“I don’t feel I’m productive enough,” Salinas said, adding that he’s been unable to attend functions.

“If I can’t be productive … I don’t want to be staying just because of seniority,” he said.

Salinas began working for the city in 1997 and worked his way up, serving as the director of planning, then director of operations and then as city manager.

The future of the city manager position had been in question since the introduction of a charter amendment that called for only for only a simple majority vote by the city council to hire or fire the city manager instead of the previously mandated super-majority.

That proposed charter amendment was approved by voters during the November city council elections.

Mayor Jaime Escobar Jr., who was elected to office during those elections, supported the amendment, stating at the time that it was about accountability.

When the amendment was being debated in November 2019, then-Mayor Roberto A. Salinas alleged supporters of the change were trying to terminate the city manager.

But on Friday, Escobar said that was never the case for him and reiterated that, for him, the purpose of the amendment was just accountability

“The purpose, I can speak for myself, the purpose was always just to keep the city manager accountable.”

“That’s always been the case,” Escobar said. “We’re willing to work with our current city manager, which we have, and he’s done a great job thus far and we just want to continue working well with him and the rest of the city administration.”

As for what he would like to see from the next city manager, Escobar said he wants to find the best fit.

“Every city, I’m sure, wants to find the very best that they can find,” the mayor said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re from Roma or from the outside, we’re open to trying to find somebody that’s going to fit our community, somebody that is willing to embrace Roma, willing to embrace the vision of the council and somebody’s that’s going to look for the city, period.”

“That’s the important thing,” Escobar added, “to see how we can grow, to sustain it properly and to make sure that we’re taking care of our budget. Somebody that’s responsible.”

Escobar said the city would begin advertising for the position in February or March.