Ceres hires city manager amid coronavirus pandemic, filling opening from departure
The Ceres City Council hired a new city manager Monday, appointing Tom Westbrook to the position on a permanent instead of a temporary basis amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Westbrook’s city manager contract begins Tuesday, per the 5-0 vote, and he will continue duties from his previous role as Ceres’s Director of Community Development.
Ceres initially announced Westbrook would serve as interim city manager after the outgoing administrative head, Toby Wells, leaves for the city of Turlock. But in a special closed session meeting on March 23, the council decided to offer Westbrook the position on a permanent basis, and directed Mayor Chris Vierra to negotiate a contract with him.
Under the employment agreement, Westbrook will receive an annual base salary of $155,700, which is about $29,000 less than what Wells was earning in the position. The council unanimously approved the contract on Monday after Vice Mayor Linda Ryno and Westbrook agreed on removing a sick leave and holiday payout if he is terminated. Without the amendment, he would have received pay for all accrued sick leave and holidays if the council fired him.
But Westbrook, who has worked for the city since 2001, said he hopes to retire in the position. While Westbrook did not apply for city manager before the council selected him, he said the opportunity excites him.
“There’s a lot of good that has happened in this city and I think there is more good to come,” Westbrook said. “The pandemic provides a wrinkle in stepping into that position, but I think Californians and the folks that live in Ceres are resilient and we will do our best to come out of this as soon as we can.”
Developing the Ceres Gateway Center and a Highway 99 interchange near it are among his goals, Westbrook said. Adding a shopping center near the intersection of Service and Mitchell roads will raise tax revenue for Ceres, he said, and an interchange will help residents get around easier.
In his 19 years with the city, Westbrook has risen through the ranks of the planning division, where he began as an associate planner. The council selected him as director of community development in 2012, and he is continuing those duties until the city hires a replacement.
A Turlock resident, Westbrook said he does not plan to move to Ceres at this time, but regularly attends community events, volunteers for the street fair and has served as the city liaison for the Ceres Chamber of Commerce board.
“I find out a whole bunch of things about the city and how we can improve things when I go to events like that, so I think that’ll continue,” Westbrook said. “It’s a little bit of a stalemate at the moment because the state and the feds aren’t allowing gatherings, but once they start up again I’ll be as involved as I was before.”
Westbrook picked up city manager duties one day after his predecessor’s last day. Wells, who accepted a city manager offer with the city of Turlock, also attended the online council meeting Monday and congratulated Westbrook.
“I’m very thrilled to hand off the baton to Mr. Westbrook and know he’ll do a fantastic job,” Wells said during the meeting, which ended his six-year tenure as city manager.
With uncertainties about the upcoming budget, Ryno requested that the city council consider not filling remaining job vacancies at the next meeting. The next regular Ceres City Council meeting is scheduled for April 27.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 12:31 PM.
