City Manager Quits Under Council Fire in Baldwin Park

City Manager Ralph Webb has resigned under fire from the City Council.

At a special meeting last Friday, council members met in closed session for about half an hour before unanimously accepting a resignation Webb submitted as part of a separation agreement with the city.

Mayor Leo King, who has expressed displeasure over Webb’s management of city finances, among other concerns, described the council’s decision as a difficult one.

“I’ve been sick over this,” King said. “You don’t do these things lightly.”

After discussions with council members over the weekend, King offered the job of acting city manager to Michael Yelton, director of administrative services for the city. Yelton accepted immediately, King said.

The council is beginning a search for a permanent replacement for Webb and may hire a recruiting firm, King said.

Webb, 41, has been on paid sick leave from his $75,336-a-year job since Monday and will remain so until his last official day of work on July 14.

“I’m sorry, I’m not going to have anything to say,” Webb said Friday both before and after the council’s vote.

Under the separation agreement approved by the council, Webb is authorized to say only that he “has voluntarily resigned.”

The agreement also stipulates that, if city officials are asked before July 14 about Webb’s employment with the city, they are authorized to say only that he has resigned and is on leave.

No Statements

Council members, who sat stone-faced during the public portion of the meeting Friday as they voted to accept Webb’s resignation, did not make any statements to the audience of about 40 people.

After the vote, Councilmen Rick Gibson and Bobbie Izell declined to elaborate on their decision, saying that the separation agreement prohibited them from doing so.

“Ralph Webb is one of the most ethical and honest men I have ever dealt with in my life, on a personal and professional level,” Gibson said.

In an interview before the meeting, King said he was troubled that the city’s financial situation is growing worse under Webb’s direction. He also questioned Webb’s dedication to the city.

Job Search

Webb “has applied to four other positions around the state and has been doing so for a number of years,” King said. “When you get to that stage, it appears that your interests in the city aren’t that great any more.”

The council first met in closed session on May 17 to consider Webb’s employment with the city. Webb was at that meeting, but chose not to attend the closed session on Friday.

In addition to authorizing the paid sick leave, the separation agreement stipulated that Webb will receive a lump sum totaling $30,840.64. The amount includes 25% of his annual salary, and payment for unused vacation time and administrative leave.

The small crowd of onlookers at Friday’s special meeting included city employees and curious residents.

Mixed Views

“I don’t know all the circumstances,” said resident Lou Kirk. “But the way I feel, we elected the council as our representatives. As such, if they found a reason for what they are doing, then I concur with their decision.”

But resident Ray Glass spoke up for Webb.

“In the last eight of nine years, things have blossomed,” Glass said. “Our home values have gone up.” By dismissing Webb, the city is reverting back to the way things were before, he said. “I don’t like to see that.”

Resident June Glass said she saw nothing wrong with Webb’s job searches.

“That’s his prerogative,” she said.

“The way they are going about it is not fair,” she said of the council. “Why fire him? Why not let him find another job. This is a slap in the face of a professional man.”

Public Service Career

Before becoming Baldwin Park’s city manager in 1981, Webb served as a deputy city administrator in Inglewood, where he worked for 10 years. His public service career also included a stint as an administrative assistant in Norwalk.

A political science graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, Webb has a master’s degree in public administration from UCLA.

Kevin Murphy, city manager of Alhambra and president of the San Gabriel Valley City Managers Assn., commended Webb for changes in Baldwin Park.

“They are doing phenomenal things there,” Murphy said. “Some of that credit has to go to Ralph Webb.”

Murphy said that Webb, vice president of the city managers group, had been in line to take office as president on June 2.

“It’s a tough job,” Murphy said of a city manager’s position. “If there are conflicts in the political environment, your job security goes out the window.”