Los Banos taps longtime Valley local government leader for interim city manager role
A leader with more than four decades of experience working in local government has been chosen for the top staff position at Los Banos City Hall — at least temporarily.
City Council on Monday chose Gregory Wellman to serve as interim city manager, replacing Josh Pinheiro, who was terminated in June after serving less than a year in the job.
Wellman will serve as city manager until a candidate is chosen to permanently fill the role.
His previous experience includes Atwater city manager, Oakdale interim city manger, Merced County administrative officer and human services agency director, UC Merced project director and general manager of the Keyes Water and Sanitation District.
The agreement with Wellman limits him to 960 hours of work during the fiscal year and pays him an hourly rate of $104.94, according to city documents.
The vote to appoint Wellman during Monday’s meeting was unanimous.
Wellman’s work over the years has received high marks from those who’ve known him. Back in 2013, then-Oakdale Mayor Pat Paul said she was sorry to see Wellman retire. She said he was instrumental in helping Oakdale through tough financial times.
“We were almost on the verge of bankruptcy, and he pulled us out from the depths,” Paul said in 2013. “He’s just remarkable. He surrounds himself with smart people, he’s a good communicator and just a decent person. We were really lucky to find him, and I wish him well.”
Pinheiro’s dismissal last month drew criticism from residents and some members of the City Council.
The council voted 3-2 on June 15 to terminate him, although the reasons for the dismissal remain unclear.
Mayor Pro Tempore Kenneth Lambert and District 3 Councilmember Brett Jones voted against the move and both took to social media to voice their concerns.
Jones posted on Facebook the termination happened “for no logical or rational explanation.”
Jones also said Pinheiro had made progress during his time as city manager, saying he allocated $1 million to rebuild the dilapidated animal shelter, allocated $1 million to local small businesses through the RAD Card program and allocated money to build pickleball courts in Los Banos, among other improvements made to the community.
Lambert said the votes by Mayor Tom Faria, District 2 Councilmember Refugio Llamas and District 4 Councilmember Deborah Lewis to fire Pinheiro were “purely out of emotion with no justified reason, no thought or logic given to the repercussions this would have on our City and Residents moving forward.”
