Irvine : Brady Gets One-Year Contract at Same Pay

After several hours of closed-door discussions, council members this week voted 4 to 1 to renew City Manager Paul O. Brady Jr.’s contract, but only for a single year.

Brady, 53, who is beginning his 14th year as city manager, previously had a two-year contract. But council members say the one-year renewal will increase the accountability of city leaders following Irvine’s aggressive investments in the failed county pool.

Council members Tuesday also agreed to create a more comprehensive process for evaluating the city manager’s performance. Brady’s annual salary of $133,000 remains unchanged.

“This will create a system where both the council and the city manager are regularly accountable to the public,” Councilman Greg Smith said.

Councilwoman Christina L. Shea voted against granting Brady a one-year contract renewal, saying the city manager should serve on a month-by-month basis and that the council should be able to fire a city manager without having to buy out the contract.

But Mayor Michael Ward said a month-by-month contract would make the job too political.

“It would cause the city manager to weigh the political ramifications of the everyday running of the city,” he said.

Ward has been targeted for recall along with council members Barry J. Hammond and Paula Werner for approving a plan last summer to borrow $62 million for an additional investment in the county pool, in which a subsequent $1.7-billion loss prompted the county to file for bankruptcy. Organizers said they would drop the recall if Brady were fired.