City Manager Gets a 5% Raise on a Close Vote

By the slimmest of margins, City Manager Kenneth C. Frank received a 5% raise this week, increasing his annual salary from $120,400 to an estimated $126,000.

The City Council approved the raise in a 3-2 vote, with Councilmen Wayne J. Baglin and Wayne L. Peterson dissenting.

“I’m not $6,000 satisfied with his performance,” Peterson said.

Frank is “too hands-on” when he has other managers capable of dealing with city issues, Peterson said.

Baglin agreed. “I differ with Ken on his management style,” Baglin said. “He is autocratic and everything has to be decided by him.”

But Councilwoman Kathleen Blackburn said there was unanimous support for Frank, 53, during a closed-door meeting in January to discuss his performance. “Our city runs very, very well, and so much of that is because of him,” she said.

Frank, who has been Laguna’s city manager for 19 years, declined to comment.