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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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.
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