Oxnard Council to Reconvene Retreat Cut Short by City Manager Dispute

Hoping that the second time around will be more successful than the first, Oxnard City Council members plan to continue the retreat today that they abruptly canceled in February as they battled over the fate of former city manager Tom Frutchey.

With Frutchey now out of the picture, council members hope to set goals for the city, including the selection of a new city manager, increasing participation among citizen advisory groups and continuing efforts to recruit more businesses.

“We are just trying to focus on all of the things that are of importance. It will certainly be more successful than the last one we had,” said Mayor Manuel Lopez. “Everyone is looking forward to it.”

The February retreat ended a day early when Councilmen Dean Maulhardt and Tom Holden walked out, infuriated by their colleagues’ decision to oust Frutchey.

Finding a new city manager is one of the council’s highest priorities. During their retreat today, officials hope to set criteria for the kind of city manager they want and to consider hiring a private consultant to conduct a nationwide search.

Prisilla Hernandez--formerly assistant city manager--is serving as interim city manager and is expected to apply for the permanent position.

Since Frutchey’s firing, Lopez and Councilman John Zaragoza have made it clear that they want a city manager who is a member of the International City Managers Assn., an agency that has guidelines and a code of ethics. Frutchey was not a member of the association.

In addition, Councilman Bedford Pinkard has said an important consideration is selecting a city manager who will reflect and understand Oxnard’s diversity.

One of the more pressing issues for Lopez and Zaragoza in particular is finding a candidate who will emphasize open communication with all members of the council. When casting his vote to fire Frutchey, Lopez said he had been left out of the loop by the city manager on several issues.

“I want a city manager that understands how to work with the council and treat every council person equally,” said Zaragoza, who voted with Lopez and Pinkard to fire Frutchey. “They also have to be able to deal with employees.”

Beyond the city manager issue, the council plans to discuss increasing participation among neighborhood councils and advisory groups, particularly in the south side of Oxnard, which some say has been neglected over the years.

Another topic will center on how to continue attracting industries to the city, which has managed to lure a significant number of businesses in recent years.

“The stronger the city is in its business climate, the stronger the city will be,” Maulhardt said.

The retreat begins today at 1 p.m. at the South Oxnard Center.