Atwater city manager’s departure a mystery. ‘Frustrated’ council confronts more chaos

Atwater hit the reset button again Tuesday, hiring its fifth new city manager in two years, as Art de Werk, who was hired just three months ago, abruptly quit for reasons city leaders refused to discuss.

De Werk’s brief tenure - like those of his three recent predecessors - was marked with controversy and a bitterly divided City Council.

His decisions to force major leadership shakeups at the Police Department angered many in the community. It also exposed a rift among the rank-and-file officers, some of whom said they had ‘no confidence’ in the leadership of Chief Samuel Joseph, but hadn’t spoken out until de Werk took over.

The reason for de Werk’s abrupt departure remained a mystery Tuesday. He did not respond to requests for comment. Council members said personnel and closed-session laws prevented them from providing specifics.

The perpetually divided City Council again remained split even in accepting a resignation. De Werk was hired in January on a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Jim Price and Councilman James Vineyard casting “no” votes. His departure received the same level of support Tuesday with yet another split 3-2 vote, with Councilman Brian Raymond and Councilwoman Cindy Vierra casting the dissenting votes.

The two council members did not comment on why they voted “no,” again citing closed session confidentiality rules. But, before the council met, four Atwater officers asked the council to encourage de Werk to come back.

Sgt. Dayton Snyder, Sgt. John Smothers, Officer Fred Robinson and Atwater Police Officers Association President Sgt. Dave Sarginson all spoke in favor of de Werk, saying he made significant progress running the police department with transparency.

“In the brief time that I’ve gotten to know Mr. de Werk, he has been nothing but professional and a man of his word,” Snyder said. “What is troubling is we’re now facing him being gone after a lot of money was spent on his background and hiring recruitment.”

“I support the police department and what they had to say,” Raymond said after the meeting.

After accepting de Werk’s resignation, the council appointed Deputy City Manager Lori Waterman as the interim city manager. Her contract is set for three months with a 5 percent salary boost, according to her contract.

Waterman is the fifth city manager, including four interims, since Dec. 2016. She was promoted just 10 days earlier on March 26 to the deputy city manager spot with the council's approval.

De Werk had a bumpy three months in office, drawing ire from public speakers and questions surrounding his previous job in Ceres. De Werk asked for a more thorough background check than is usually necessary to be a city manager in an attempt to silence questions surrounding his time in Ceres.

Less than three weeks into his interim role, de Werk placed Joseph on administrative leave, where he remains. Armando Echevarria has served as interim chief in the meantime. Joseph was placed on leave around the same time de Werk launched an independent review of all departments and the city’s police union released a statement saying they passed a ‘no-confidence’ vote in the chief without providing any specific numbers.

It’s unclear how de Werk’s departure affects the review connected to Joseph’s leave.

Also during de Werk’s time as the top staffer, former City Attorney Tom Terpstra resigned from Atwater. The city now contracts with Sacramento-based attorney Douglas White of Churchwell White.

Vierra said de Werk’s departure is “frustrating.” She addressed the Council’s reputation for chaos and infighting.

“We really do want to pull together and make the best decisions for the city,” she said. “We see the disappointment in our citizens and it’s really hard to see.”

The council is trying to “catch its breath” before coming to a decision on the search for a permanent administrator, she said.

The special meeting had a somber tone on Tuesday as city leaders spoke about getting on the same page, but the leaders have been there before. In the early weeks of the new council in December of 2016, the council presented a united front after name-calling and disagreements, but the public fighting has continued.

The council members agreed independently that de Werk left them with a plan aimed at financial solvency in the next four years.

Last week, the council implemented de Werk's plan to appoint two deputy city managers in an attempt to bring "stability" to the city. He also pitched a plan to cut more than $1 million in spending in the first steps to rein in the city's budget, which is operating $2.5 million in debt.

“I personally believe that there are some good things that are in there that need exploring, some things that need clarification for me,” Price said after the meeting. “We all want something laid out so we can build on it and see where it goes.”

The Atwater permanent city manager search has been ongoing in different forms since the last city manager, Frank Pietro, retired in Dec. 2016. The council members have butted heads with the council generally split into two camps.

A number of controversial votes on city staffing and budget-related decisions have come down to 3-2 vote splits, with Price and Vineyard commonly voting together against Councilman Paul Creighton, Raymond and Vierra.

Applicant Scott Bride, who was an interim city manager, pulled his name out of the hat for the permanent job in May, citing a series of “conflicts” and “distractions” that kept the council from handling “serious issues.” He now works for the city of Merced.

Former Merced City Manager John Bramble served as interim in Atwater for about six months last year.

Graeme Mitchell, the assistant vice president of facilities at the University of Pacific in Stockton, was hired in November and then quit two weeks later before ever going to work.

This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Atwater city manager’s departure a mystery. ‘Frustrated’ council confronts more chaos."