Chowchilla leader resigns; city pays severance

The City Council reached an agreement with City Administrator Mark Lewis during a closed-session meeting Tuesday that began with his immediate resignation.

On administrative leave since Sept. 2, Lewis agreed to part with a nine-month, $122,525 severance package, according to Laura Crane, an attorney for the city. The council agreed unanimously on the decision during the Tuesday meeting.

Mayor Richard Walker said it was best for the city to break ties with Lewis. “We wish him the best in whatever future endeavors he undertakes,” he said.

The city’s contract with Lewis required at least a six-month severance package, he said.

Police Chief Jay Varney will continue to act as top cop and top city administrative official in the interim, Walker said, adding that the City Council does not intend to go long without hiring an interim city administrator. Walker said he expects the council will discuss hiring someone for that position at its next meeting, Oct. 14.

Lewis could not be reached for comment.

Lewis, 63, released a statement a few days after he was placed on leave. “I’d like to clear my name, as I’ve done nothing wrong,” Lewis said in the statement released Sept. 2. “I work at the pleasure of Council, and they can dismiss me at any time without cause. The only thing they are required to do is follow the terms of my contract.”

“I love the city of Chowchilla, and I very much enjoyed working there,” he wrote.

Lewis was under a routine performance review, according to Walker, when the council voted to place him on leave. Walker has denied that the leave was related to two complaints filed in August against the city of Chowchilla.

Lewis was named in both complaints. The council also voted to formally reject those complaints during the closed session Tuesday.

The complaints, one from a former female employee and one from a current female employee, state that each worker felt fear, emotional distress and anxiety over the potential loss of the job while working under Lewis’ supervision, among other claims.

Each filing seeks damages that exceed $10,000, according to the complaints. Fresno lawyer Barry Bennett, who represents complainants Sharon Briscoe and Joanne Upton, has six months to file a lawsuit.

Under Lewis, Chowchilla was able to balance its finances through several cost-cutting measures, including layoffs and staff furloughs, as well as by developing new revenue sources. In May, the City Council approved a budget of $28.1 million for the 2014-15 fiscal year, marking the fourth year in a row it adopted a balanced budget.

Varney has held dual roles before – from 2009, after Nancy Red was removed from the top administrator’s seat by the City Council, until Lewis was hired in 2011.

This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Chowchilla leader resigns; city pays severance."