Permanent Merced city manager chosen after weeks in interim role, council decides
With a unanimous vote Monday night, the Merced City Council promoted former interim city manager Stephanie Dietz to the position’s permanent role.
“We’re really happy to do so,” said Mayor Mike Murphy. “Ms. Dietz has been with us for about four years, and is really a tremendous asset to the city.”
Dietz has worked for the City of Merced since 2017. She stepped up from assistant city manager to fill the interim position of the city’s top administrator after former City Manager Steve Carrigan was terminated by a 6-1 City Council vote in July.
Why Carrigan was severed from the city is still unclear. But contention between the previous city manager and the mayor boiled over publicly in June when Murphy alleged that Carrigan lacked transparency during the coronavirus emergency.
Carrigan had been in the role since 2016 with a starting salary of $190,000, plus benefits.
Dietz enters her career as city manager with a contracted three year term and beginning salary of $214,966, effective Nov. 17.
“Thank you so much for placing your confidence in me as your next city manager,” Dietz said, adding, “Our residents and our businesses need us more than ever to collectively work together.”
Selection process criticized
Dietz’s unanimous appointment by Merced City Council came after some residents at the previous council meeting expressed apprehension about the city’s job search.
Michael Belluomini and Jesse Ornelas, candidates for mayor and city council, respectively, each voiced concerns about the process being rushed.
Belluomini, who previously served on Merced City Council for five years until 2018, characterized the application period as short compared to standard practice in Merced and statewide.
With a majority of council seats up for grabs in the election, both men urged the council to hold off on hiring a permanent city manager until the next round of council members are sworn in.
Murphy disagreed with the comments. He said the hiring process was thorough and consistent with past employee recruitment, attracting competitive applicants from across the country. Nineteen applications were ultimately received, according to a City of Merced news release.
Each council member on Monday night congratulated Dietz on her official role.
“Every penny, she earns,” Councilmember Anthony Martinez said. “I appreciate (Dietz’s) work over the years. It’s been good for the city.”
Councilmember Jill McLeod, the only woman serving on Merced City Council, noted the importance of having another woman at the forefront of leading the city.
During her time with the city, Dietz implemented the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission, worked to complete beautification projects and developed a legislative program to advocate for grant funding and resources, the news release said.
Prior to Dietz’s work with the city, she worked for Merced County and UC Merced. She was also co-chair of the Northern San Joaquin Valley Regions Rise, which is part of the state’s economic development initiative.
Dietz has a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State and a master’s from National University.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 8:16 AM.
