• City Council Meeting January 2026

This blog is going to be highlights from my notes of the meeting... if you ever want to chat about what transpired at a city council meeting, let's set something up. jmorabito@wildomar.gov

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

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• Public Works Update
• Permitting Software 
• Historic Downtown
• Raising Taxes

Meeting Recap

Public Comments of note:

Andy Morris of EVMWD spoke about the bids for the Septic to Sewer project in Sedco, which came in lower than expected, and that frees up some funding for additional participants who may now be interested. 

If you're in the area of the project and didn't opt in already, please contact EVMWD as soon as possible to see if you can be included. 

 

This was a longish and somewhat dry presentation, but one that I appreciated, being that it was in the open part of the council meeting. 

In years past, this was usually part of the city manager review process, which is a closed session thing. To get the full information on the seven bullet points above, please check out the video of the meeting. 

I had a couple of comments on the list above.

Historic Downtown

Call me old fashioned, but I like using real terms for things. If you're building something new, it's not historic... unless, maybe, it's supposed to be a replica of something that's being updated, not being created out of whole cloth. 

If you're not certain, item 2 (historic old town specific plan) is the general area where Wildomar Elementary School is. 

Though I like the idea of having a themed commercial development in that area, I suggested we consider different terminology than "historic" since it's counterintuitive.

Reminds me of the "Miracle Mile" designation that a past city manager used to describe Clinton Keith from Albertsons to The Hive. Something that was grating to most people who actually live in Wildomar.

Permitting Software was mentioned as a goal

I seemed to be the only council member who was even curious about the costs associated with new software. 

The cost to buy in was ballparked at "between $200k and $300K" with a yearly licensing fee that wasn't guessed at. 

If you watch the video of the meeting, you'll see that my concern was about any additional costs being passed onto the person pulling a permit. 

Raising Taxes?

The idea of revenue increases through tax increases was touched on at the 51:00 mark of the meeting the high costs of public safety were brought up by the city manager.

"We have to grow economically. We can do that by raising taxes, we can also do that by bringing in responsible business growth."

My response to the suggestion went this way, "I know that you were just mentioning as ways that cities can get revenue, but my 'Spidey senses' went up at even the suggestion of raising taxes. It's always good to bring in additional revenues by bringing in additional businesses, but changing the [tax] rate to bring in additional taxes would be a hard sell for me, much less the residents."

No other members of the council commented on the issue. 

Walmart Update

The city manager mentioned that Walmart was moving forward (their final EOT expires before the end of March), but still wasn't ready to say they're going to build yet.

I'm not in the inner circle of Walmart's expansion team, nor part of the furthest outer circle either, but I can't see why they would be monkeying around with the city, at this eleventh hour, if they weren't intent on using their approved plans

Notes On Business Registration

We're moving in the direction of less regulation and less burden on businesses. Our "registration" was already a lesser burden than cities that use the "business license" method.

The goal will be to make this more of a voluntary arrangement. If you want (need) a business license (many businesses need them for their landlords, banks, or insurance companies), then come down and get one. Check with the city if you're unclear where your business may stand when it comes to city business registration.

Public Works Updates

Bundy Canyon road improvement has been on the books since before cityhood in 2008. In short, once we became a city, the county said, "Here, this is now your problem... good luck!"

I've been on city council for seven years now, and I'm glad that phase one is in the books, but I predict that it'll be a very long time before Segment 3 is funded. 

Back to Segment 2 (begins where Phase 1 ends (about 1,400-1,600 feet east of Oak Canyon Drive) and extends eastward to just before Harvest Way), I anticipate it beginning before the end of the year, and the construction window for that will be two years. 

The good news is that the major Clinton Keith road widening will not be going on concurrently with the Bundy Canyon, which had long been anticipated.   

Also, there are plans to keep rehab the road surface on Bundy Canyon, all the way from Mission Trail to Menifee. Menifee is said to be looking at Scott Road, which is in their city. 

Additional Lane Wildomar Trail/I15

No word from Caltrans about the Wildomar Trail widening at the freeway. Councilwoman Bridgette Moore and I are always asking staff about this. 

Future Agenda Items

Though it's a drop in the bucket, I suggested we discuss the idea of crediting the businesses in the Palomar Road work zone for their cost for business registration. 

•

There were lots of other things in this meeting. It lasted nearly three hours. Below is a link to the YouTube video if you'd like to take a look.

Here is a link to the video at the city's website. This will allow you to quickly access each agenda item without having to fish around for it.

• Did Someone Say "Walmart"?

The on-again off-again courtship of Walmart and Wildomar is now to the point of sh** or get off the pot.

Walmart got approvals back in 2015, and each time that their time limit was being reached, they applied for an EOT (Extension of Time). 

These guys make cats jealous.

EOTs can't go on indefinitely, and Walmart is just a few months from the last EOT expiring, March '26, I believe it is. 

A brief history of Walmart and Wildomar

Had Walmart not been on the books back when cityhood was put on the ballot, and the anticipated sales tax revenue it would bring in, LAFCO (Local Agency Formation COmission) wouldn't have approved the petitions of WIN (Wildomar Incorporate Now) and it would never have made it to the ballot back in 2008.

Back in 2015 I reported on Walmart's official approvals from the planning commission and then the city council. 

VIDEO TO 2015 MEETING BELOW

Then the project was hit with a lawsuit, and amazingly enough, it wasn't brought by any of that era's Wildomar haters. Instead, it was by someone who would follow Walmart around and look to slow their roll whenever possible.

Eventually, that gambit ran out of legal steam, and Walmart got the green light from the courts to move forward with its approved project on Bundy, east of the freeway. 

However (there always seems to be a 'however'), by the time the legal hurdles had been cleared, as it was shared with me, their business model had morphed due to Amazon's increase in market share.

So, the project was put into mothballs. Which has long been regarded as a linchpin for development in that part of town. It's been suggested that once Walmart goes in, other development will follow in behind it. 

Through the years, as each deadline for their project approached, they would file for an EOT. Makes sense considering that they'd invested a fair amount of time and money to get it approved, and it's only a pittance to get an extension.

But as stated at the top of this blog, EOTs can't go on forever and we're now in the final few months before action must begin.

I was looking for a graphic from the recent State of the City event where Walmart was mentioned as part of future development, albeit not carved in stone.

I couldn't find the city-made graphic I had in mind, so I'll make one that is an incredible simulation (lol). 

Mickey Dee's and Starbucks are already built, waiting to be finalized on the inside. Will Walmart finally make its long anticipated groundbreaking before its project deadline comes and goes?

In addition to the legal hurdles that Walmart had to get past, they had also been conditioned to do considerable amounts of infrastructure improvements on Bundy Canyon. 

Lo and behold, those are all complete now, so that burden has been lifted off their bank account's shoulders —assuming they proceed, that is... lucky them. 

Hey, look, I found the city image I mentioned before. This was part of the 2025 Wildomar State of the City video. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Walmart has been a hot button issue for many, for a very long time, when the topic arises. 

Several Wildomar longtimers have never wanted any growth in Wildomar, I've heard them loud and clear over the years. 

REMINDER
This project, if they actually follow through, is ALREADY approved. 

A Walmart in town will make shopping convenient for all the Wildomar residents who shop at Walmart. Then there are the projected tax revenues that will come to the city. 

If memory serves, I recall hearing that a sum of about $600,000 would have come to the city in 2008 from Walmart.

On the cusp of 2026, that doesn't sound like much, but now factor in inflation, and the additional Measure A sales tax, and that figure can't be lower than $2M today.  

For those who dislike development, I don't know what to tell you, that's always been the way of the world, especially in the USA. 

For those who understand the benefits to the community that come with commercial development, this could be the tipping point in watching Wildomar's historically woeful budget issues recede further back into history. 

From my standpoint, as a member of the City Council, I will be watching any new revenues that come in like a hawk. 

The new revenues will need to be used for the benefit of the community, not the benefit of staffing at City Hall... which I'm confident that is a shared consensus by the council, and the city manager.

If Walmart doesn't come, at least this endless danse macabre will finally be over (I think).

Below is a video I made after the January 2015 Planning Commission meeting. It's the full presentation.

Here's a link to more of the same meeting; this one is regarding public comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6GkjJYmM0s

Here's the third video from that meeting, the commission comments portion. 

If you jump down to the 10:30 mark, you'll see Commissioner Stan Smith's wise words when it comes to the sales tax that would be generated by Walmart. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHjc3fZ_Z9E

Last of the links... here's one to the 2019 blog covering a press release from the City of Wildomar stating that Walmart had chosen to sell their property.
https://wildomarrap.blogspot.com/2019/03/adios-walmart.html

• City Council Meeting November 2025

Kenny Mayes was honored by the city. 

(more at the bottom of the blog)

Lynne Mayes holds the proclamation that was presented by Mayor Ashlee DePhillippo, his son is holding flowers. Behind her is the old street sign with the Mayes family name on it.

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

---

• Public Works Update
• Robert Flores goes from interim to permanent Community Development Director
• Graffiti Trailer
• Additional Part Time Code Enforcement Officer
• Fence Around Flood Control Basin (Bundy Canyon and Monte Vista)

Meeting Recap

There was a lot of good information in the Public Works update. 

• The Palomar Road widening is two months behind schedule. Look for it to be finished in February of 2026. Part of the delay is a gas line that needs to be moved on Gruwell. 

• Wildomar Trail/I-15 restriping is inching closer to the finish line. Working with Caltrans can be painstakingly slow.

So you know, the issue is that the road isn't currently wide enough to restripe the lanes with Caltrans's minimum requirements. It's about a foot short to accommodate restriping that would create an additional westbound lane from Margaret Lane to the freeway.

The city has submitted plans to Caltrans with widening in mind, but Caltrans keeps returning them with "comments" about the design (anything short of a yes is problematic in my book). 

There was no date given as to when Caltrans would approve the design. During the question period I asked, "We know Caltrans is going to dictate the tempo of this, but do our plans look like they're going to eventually pass muster with them?"

I understand why staff has to be guarded in their answers, but the answer I got didn't leave me feeling overly confident that this matter will be resolved anytime soon. Take a listen to the video and draw your own conclusions.

part of the presentation

• Bundy Canyon and Clinton Keith widening

For those who may not know, both of these projects have been in the works for years and years. 

We got past phase I of Bundy Canyon a couple of years ago, and after the kinks were ironed out (literally), it's a good improvement. Phase II will be from where construction left off to The Farm Road. 

Phase III (from The Farm Road to the city line with Menifee) is being planned, but I don't see it on the visible horizon yet. 

Neither project has been sent out to bid yet. Cutting to the chase, I'd be very surprised if there is any actual construction before we get to 2027. 

Video of Public Works Update

Robert Flores takes the job of Community Development Director. He oversees many areas, including the Planning Department and Code Enforcement. 

I've had the chance to work with him for many months now, already well-versed in Wildomar. Hopefully, he's not reading this (don't want his head to overinflate lol), but I've heard great things from many people outside of the city apparatus when it comes to working with him. 

Even as an interim, I saw him at city park events. Not something I remember too many times from others in the past.

New Graffiti Trailer 

I look forward to hearing reports as to how often this gets put into action.

Additional Part-Time Code Enforcement Officer

There was a bit of discussion about when to add this new position, but it got the green light to fill now. 

Part of the discussion was regarding the idea of having a workshop where we can dig deeper into what areas of code enforcement should be dealing with. 

Fence or not to Fence

Last year we voted 4-1 (Morabito, no) to spend many hundreds of thousands of dollars on a decorative fence around the new flood basin at Bundy Canyon and Monte Vista.

Thankfully, the next month we reversed that. 

It came back to the agenda because it needed to be finalized that we were not going to spend money on it. 

Here's a link to a blog dealing with it from July of 2024

https://wildomarrap.blogspot.com/2024/07/city-council-meeting-july-2024.html

 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I'd like to add a write-up of Kenny Mayes here. 

I learned of his passing shortly after it happened. I reached out to his widow, Lynne, and offered her my condolences. 

I told her, "Though my initial instinct would be to write a tribute to Kenny in my blog, I have no interest in using his passing as a reason to get clicks, or, more importantly, cause any level of grief to you."

She was appreciative of my words. 

Now that this was part of a city council meeting, I'll add some reflections here. 

I first became acquainted with Kenny through his comments/writings at The Patch in mid-2013, and right from the start, we seemed to be on opposite sides of the argument... no matter what it was.

If you search his name and Wildomar Rap, there must be at least 50, if not 100, times his name comes back. 

We usually would go round and round, with him on one side and me on the other, but in reality, if you can picture a football field, he was on one forty yard line and I was on the other. 

Both really being in the center, just a bit to one side or the other, neither holding extreme views.

Here's a link to a blog where Kenny and I exchanged some views on the topic of local tax increases. If you click the link, go to the bottom where the comments are.


I can remember when I was running for city council in 2018 and the city still didn't livestream the meetings (I had taken it upon myself to videotape the meetings and then upload them to YouTube for the public).

Kenny told the council that he wouldn't do any more public comments until they started to livestream.

I remember writing in this blog that he had miscalculated, that he should have gone in the other direction... threaten to speak on each and every item, with borrowed time, until they agreed to livestream the meetings.

Sometime around July of that year I went up to him after a city council meeting and asked him to break his self imposed moratorium on not offering public comments. 

I drew this back in 2018. 

Fast forward to last year, and I remember getting a little choked up when seeing him at a park event, obviously in the middle of a battle that would eventually take his life. 

He was at the park anyway. I went up to him and chatted. It was a pleasant exchange, but within a month, he and I were back at it on social media, as if it was still 2015. lol

Kenny Mayes was a man well worth remembering. 

Video link to Mayor Ashlee DePhillippo's presentation to Kenny Mayse's family

The meeting was adjourned in memory of Kenny Mayes.


Programming note:
Next month's meeting (December 2025) will be a week early. The first Wednesday instead of the second Wednesday. 

• Wildomar Official Threatened

Reporting Supervisor: Lieutenant Jeff Reese

File # WI253130039

Details:

On Saturday, November 8, 2025, the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station’s Special Enforcement Team (SET) received information regarding a city of Wildomar public official receiving threats of a criminal nature. The SET deputies immediately assumed the case, and during the investigation, the suspect Cody Salazar, a 38-year-old resident of Murrieta, was positively identified as the individual making the threats. 

On November 9, 2025, the SET deputies located and arrested Salazar without incident. Salazar was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center for making criminal threats to a public official.

This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details will be released. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Deputy Noel at the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station at (951) 245-3300.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office takes a zero-tolerance approach to threats against public officials and any member of the public. These types of incidents will receive our full attention, and all investigative steps will be taken to identify and hold accountable individuals who think this type of behavior is acceptable.

As a reminder, "Community Policing" involves partnerships between law enforcement and community members. Business owners and residents are encouraged to report criminal activity directly to law enforcement by calling Sheriff's Dispatch at (951) 776-1099 or 911 in an emergency.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Quick reminder: the people elected to Wildomar's city council are just regular people in the neighborhood. We're literally your nextdoor neighbor.

We've volunteered to represent the community. It's a privilege and an honor to serve, and it's not as if the residents have to be cheerleaders, you don't have to like us at all... but don't threaten our safety. 

I'd like to get deep into details, but this is an ongoing investigation, and therefore, I won't. 

I will say that this kind of uncalled for action is one of several reasons why many people choose to stay out of politics, even at the local level, including little ol' Wildomar. 

• If you vote for Prop 50, you're voting for more Tres Lagos

This is my opinion.... imagine that. 

If you vote for Prop 50, you're voting for more Tres Lagos being put into neighborhoods... don't lie to yourself, you just are. 

If you're not sure what Tres Lagos is, it's a high-density, low-income apartment complex that Sacramento put into one of Wildomar's nicest neighborhoods, where the city council had no say in the matter.

The thinking that has helped me to arrive at such a conclusion comes from years of observing how the California Democrats, who have been controlling Sacramento nearly my whole life, have NO interest in your personal opinions when they conflict with their highly crafted worldview. 

They do what they want, and you must like it. That is their usual speed, and the further away one gets from Sacramento, the less they care for our needs. 

They have a long and proven track record of quashing local control.

You have permission to NOT vote as a partisan when it comes to Prop 50. The people spoke back in 2008 and again in 2010 (props 11 and 20). 

• 2008: Voters approved Proposition 11, the "Voters First Act", which created the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw state legislative districts. It did not, however, give the commission authority over congressional districts.
• 2010: Voters passed Proposition 20, the "Voters First Act for Congress". This measure expanded the Citizens Redistricting Commission's power to include the drawing of congressional districts, removing that responsibility from the state legislature.

How do you view new laws?

Many laws come about due to an emerging need that hadn't clearly been seen in the past (imagine proposing laws regarding the internet back in the 1970s... that would have been daft).

Other laws come about through social engineering, and depending on your political philosophy, that's either a good thing or a bad thing. 

Nearly 800 bills made it into law this year.

My view is that most people, even in deep Dodger Blue California, are in the "big middle" of the political spectrum, and fewer are part of one extreme or the other. 

However, the voting record in California begs to differ and suggests that the average, at best, is center-left to solidly left. 

Just look at the garbage that comes out of Sacramento, highlighted by the (nearly) criminal Prop 50. 

Gavin Newsom has NEVER cared
about "democracy". Only furthering his career.

The Democrats' favorite mantra is "democracy," though I can count several examples of them trampling all over "democracy," with Prop 50 the most egregious example in California. 

But let's not forget some other things that have sprung directly from the desk of Governor Newsom

The very first thing he did when he came into office was to negate the results of a democratic election. 

In 2016, California voters considered two competing death penalty initiatives: 

• Proposition 62 (failed): This initiative sought to abolish the death penalty entirely and replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole. Voters rejected this measure.
• Proposition 66 (passed): This measure aimed to speed up the death penalty appeals process by placing time limits on legal challenges and reassigning initial appeals to trial courts. Voters approved this measure, and its constitutionality was largely upheld by the California Supreme Court in 2017. The transfer of inmates to other facilities (mentioned above) was an implementation of one of Prop 66's provisions. 

He essentially did the same thing after the 2024 election, where 68.4% of the voters approved the public safety measure, Prop 36, and then Newsom refused to properly fund it. 

Even the LA Times castigated Newsom's actions regarding Prop 36.

Link to LA Time Story 

However, he did find over $300 million to fund the Prop 50 ballot measure. 

With that as a foundation, let's look at a new bill that Newsom recently signed into law. 

All the above was to lay the foundation for the new anti-neighborhood bill that was just signed into law

SB 79   (Wiener D)   Housing development: transit-oriented development.

This measure would require cities to approve ministerially higher-density residential projects up to 7 stories near public transit stops if a city is located in an urban transit county or a county with more than 15 rail stops. 

While cities in nonurban transit counties, located within a quarter mile of specific transit stops would have to approve residential projects by-right up to 5 stories tall regardless of local zoning codes, limit the use of local development standards on the proposed project, and grant authority to transit agencies to establish development standards on residential development on property the transit agency owns or leases within a half mile of a public transit stop on or before January 1, 2026.

*ministerially means NO public input and no votes by a planning commission or city council.

•

Elections have consequences; don't get suckered into the nonsense from the Yes on 50 campaign. 

If you've seen the video ads, you've seen some of the most dishonest political rhetoric of all time. 

((Can you tell that I am NOT a fan of Governor Gavin Newsom))

• City Council Meeting October 2025

It was a very light meeting this month. Still, there were a few nuggets to share.

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

---

• See-Click-Fix App
• Palomar Road Improvements
• Shed Set Backs
• Shipping Containers

Meeting Recap

1.8 See Click Fix and CivicRec

These are two apps that will facilitate reporting issues around town (potholes, et al) and will be available in either the Google Play Store or the Apple Store. 

This isn't an official image.

If you're from SeeClickFix,

you're welcome, and feel free to use it gratis.

CivicRec is a recreational software that helps with facility rentals of all sorts. It'll streamline the current process that's in place and also offer a calendar of things happening throughout the year.

There was some initial confusion as to how the public would use the SeeClickFix app. At first, it seemed as if there'd need to be two different approaches to reporting matters in the city. 

One for code enforcement, and one for public works.

Thankfully, City Manager Chris Mann made it clear that there will only be one interface for residents once the rollout of this software is complete.

The timeline is within six months that these apps should be operational.

1.17 Budget Adjustment - Palomar St. Widening

This item was on the consent calendar (routine matter) but I asked for the item to be pulled to hear the staff report.

Cutting to the chase, there are no cost overruns and the project is on time (to be finished ). The reason for this item is that it straddled two different fiscal years, and there was more work added.

Gruwell will be getting some modifications to smooth out the curve that leads into Orange Street.

2.2 Development Code Amendment No. 2025-05A (Sheds & Accessory Dwelling Units)

The ADU portion of this was bringing Wildomar codes into compliance with new state codes. 

The setbacks are going from five feet to two feet for side and backyards. 

If you have a shed on the front portion of your property, they aren't allowed on the property line.

The last item I'm highlighting came during the City Manager's Report: Shipping Containers.

The current rule is that you are NOT allowed to have a shipping container on property that is smaller than five acres. 

I don't know how many five-acre parcels are in Wildomar, but I can tell you most that have shipping containers on them aren't anywhere near five acres. 

Usually, there isn't very much discussion on City Manager items, but this one went on for more than ten minutes with the creation of an ad hoc committee comprised of Dustin Nigg and Bridgette Moore to investigate the matter further. 

If the video link isn't working, try this link.

The video is cued up to the City Manager's Report

Since it's an ongoing matter, I'll save deep analysis for a later time, but I can say that I'm interested in taking a deeper look into this since so many are well out of compliance (having a shipping container on less than five acres), and I don't think it's fair to them to leave them in limbo.

If you have opinions one way or the other on shipping container ordinances, please email the subcommittee with them. 

You can send your emails to the city clerk (jmorales@wildomar.gov) and ask her to forward them to the subcommittee.

• Special City Council Meeting September 26, 2025

Congratulations, Chris, or should I say, "Mr. City Manager!"

The only item on the agenda was to ratify the new, four-year contract for Wildomar's 6th City Manager, Chris Mann. 

I look forward to working with him even more now that the "interim" restraints have been removed. Let's go get 'em!

There were two votes that were part of the process.

One in closed session, which was reported out as 5-0 to select Chris Mann to be the permanent City Manager.

Joseph Morabito and Chris Mann at the 2025 Temecula State of the City event.

The second vote was regarding the contract, it went 4-1, with Councilman Joseph Morabito (the guy writing this blog) voting not to approve.

My reasoning didn't change from my no vote back in April when Chris was hired on as Interim City Manager. 

To respect the process, and the law (the ever-looming Brown Act), I can't get into the particulars of how the contract was cobbled together (closed session restrictions), but I'll sum it up this way while being as nice as I possibly can be...

Five amateurs were dealing with a professional, and in my estimation, it's evident in the final product, i.e., the contract. 

Note to self, too many chefs ruin the stew, or is it supposed to be the "pudding"?
Key to the cartoon, Joseph Morabito is the odd man out on the left side. 

To be fair, the negotiating subcommittee of the Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem, spent a lot of time during this process, and were able to change the first iterations of a contract from something that would have been rejected 5-0, to one that passed 4-1.

For many observers, when both sides of a negotiation don't get what they wanted at the outset, that signifies a good deal.

Key details of the contract:
• $281,000 with an automatic COLA based on CPI

• Four Year Deal

• 12 Month Severance, Paid Monthly (hopefully never needed)

• Automobile Allowance: Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) monthly

• Deferred Comp: The City shall annually contribute into the qualified 457 account in the City Manager’s name the maximum annual contribution, including any age-related and “catch up” provisions.

The first year is an additional $20,000 (low estimate on my end) and once he reaches age 50 (in two years) an additional $7500 per year is paid by the city.

Link to full contract if you'd like to take a look at it.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I can almost hear it now, "Hey Joseph, why are you speaking out of both sides of your mouth here?"

"How can you congratulate the new City Manager and at the same time vote against the contract?"

Easy, two different things can exist at the same time. 

Obviously, I'm out of step with the other four-fifths of the council on this. 

In my view, the contract is too rich for Wildomar. I saw that back in April, and my opinion didn't change over the Summer.

One argument, a pretty solid one if you're of that mindset, is that a city should hire someone for City Manager who will bring many years of experience, which generally comes with a high dollar payout. 

My argument has long been that Wildomar can't compete with larger cities, and it's folly to attempt to. Wildomar can prosper while staying in our own lane. The City of Wildomar is a good place, strike that, a GREAT place to work. 

If a prospective employee's career path leans more heavily in the direction of top compensation in their field, that's perfectly fine, but they'd be walking down the wrong lane if they're expecting Wildomar's name to be at the bottom of the check.

If what they value is a slower, more personal pace —the kind our small city offers compared to the 100,000-population-club cities, then Wildomar would be the spot in SWRivCo where they should look.

A N A L O G Y    T I M E

Here's Joseph about to wade into dangerous waters. 

No, not by talking about verboten negotiation details, I already said that wasn't going to happen... but even worse... POLITICS. 

Instead of a baseball analogy, I'm going to use examples from the current crop of national political figures. 

We know that there are young up-and-comers in both major political parties, no matter how much you may hate one or both of the options, (stick with me a sec).

In this analogy, I'm going to use JD Vance, or, if you prefer, Pete Buttigieg (don't get bogged down here, lol). 

These are considered to be talented people at the younger end of their political careers. For many, the two stand out as all-stars, with many suggesting them for the highest office in the land, though others argue they’re still in the formative years of proving themselves.

I would have preferred we go in that direction, an up-and-comer, because it comes at less of a price tag and at least the same level of work and dedication, as (in my estimation) the candidate would be doubly motivated to show their selection was the right one.

Try this on for size

Imagine if we had snagged Chris Mann for his first City Manager job back in 2019, instead of Canyon Lake, we'd have been getting the up-and-comer, which I believe such commodities still exist, and with the lower price tag I've been pointing to.

He's living proof of such... right?

► If AI can be trusted as a source

Chris Mann's first annual salary as Canyon Lake city manager, starting March 1, 2019, was $165,000. 

This was confirmed by the Canyon Lake City Council's approval of his first raise on April 1, 2020, which brought his salary to $165,000

Salary: In May 2022, following a performance evaluation, his annual salary was increased to $200,000. At the time, he was noted as the lowest-paid city manager in Riverside County.

But we're here now, and I'm confident that Wildomar will do well under his tutelage. My lingering reservations were never about his abilities, just the weight of the contract.

Joseph Morabito, the lone ‘no’ vote on the contract, volunteered to swap the nameplate from ‘Interim City Manager’ to ‘City Manager’ and was the first to offer a handshake, symbolizing unity despite his earlier dissent.

Yes, speaking in the third person is lame, but sometimes it just seems to fit better. 

Final note:

I caution you to NOT miscontrue the basic points above. 

I do not think Wildomar should seek to underpay city employees, just for us to recognize our limitations and work within that rubric. If, by chance, you missed that point, I apologize for any ambiguity.