Is Atwater's city manager leaving already? Here's what we know

Atwater City Council called a special meeting to be held on Tuesday, when leaders will be asked to consider appointing yet another interim city manager - the city's fourth in two years, according to a notice made public on Monday.

The council will be asked to consider appointing Deputy City Manager Lori Waterman to the interim city manager position, replacing Art de Werk, who has had the job since January.

Waterman, who would be the fourth interim city manager since Dec. 2016, was elevated to the deputy city manager spot with the council's approval on March 26.

Mayor Jim Price said de Werk has "chosen to depart," but he was not privy to the exact circumstances that led to de Werk's decision.

The controversial interim city manager has had a bumpy three months in office, drawing abusive language from public speakers and questions surrounding his previous job in Ceres. De Werk submitted to a more thorough background check than is usually necessary to be a city manager in an attempt silence questions surrounding his time in Ceres.

"I understand about catching flack. I get enough myself," Price said on Monday. "What drove him to make this decision is entirely on him."

De Werk could not be reached by phone on Monday, but said his decision is not final. He told the Sun-Star via text message he is "considering the possibility of voluntarily resigning." He could not comment further, he said in the text.

It was not immediately clear how any staffing decisions in Atwater or plans surrounding the city's economic health would be affected if de Werk departs.

Less than three weeks into his interim role, de Werk placed Police Chief Samuel Joseph on administrative leave, where he remains. Armando Echevarria has served as interim chief in the meantime.

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.

"It's too soon to tell," Price said. "The thing of it is that those problems still exist. How we're going to work through them is left to be seen."

Price said city leaders need to find stability with a permanent city manager who has the skills and knowledge to right the ship.

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 Councilman James Vineyard commonly voting together. The other three council members, Paul Creighton, Brian Raymond and Cindy Vierra, have come down on the other side.

Applicant Scott Bride 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 2, 2018 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Is Atwater's city manager leaving already? Here's what we know."