The City Manager was hired by the previous administration from his resume and his interview.
A thorough background check was not conducted.
The background check would have revealed a pattern of resignations from cities with a population of less than two thousand.
Most of those cities are not home rule and have a city administrator vice city manager.
Different management protocol. Job stability is vital in selecting a city manager.
He didn’t have it. He was job hunting for a year prior to his position with San Benito. The town of Jonestown forced him to resign.
Claiming to have 25 years of experience and only having a fouryear degree also indicates his lack of self-improvement.
He has no credible ethics affiliations to his resume.
Most city managers for towns this size have masters’ degree.
His performances have lacked closure or action. He fired the EDC director for alleged illegal acts and became the EDC director.
The investigation was handed to police department and nothing done. No action as EDC director and no action against the fired EDC Director.
The recordings of Police Chief were ignored. Any competent attorney would have recommended termination for violations of police policy and no confidence from police union. The message he sends is that by ignoring the problem it will go away.
He created a hostile working environment. He ignored a sexual harassment incident where the police chief acknowledges it in one of the recordings.
Other violations include ignoring city charter and planning and zoning regulations (Roberts Street).
He appointed department
heads without city commission approval (Texas Local Government Code 143.013).
Mr. Bell applied for assistant Financial position and was assigned Planning Director with no experience and educational requirements for planning.
The city paid approximately $30,000 for a comprehensive plan, nothing has been implemented with this plan.
Businesses are leaving, and he has not done a thing about it.
While there is growth to the north and south of the city, why is nothing happening in San Benito.
His performance has been pathetic.
The worse thing is his disrespect of the citizens and surely the Commissioners of San Benito.
The list can go on and on, but rest assured that the Commission will be held accountable for whatever action is taken.
Ben Cortez, Concerned Citizens San Benito
