Incoming Turlock manager Toby Wells identifies public trust, finances, as challenges
Turlock’s City Council on Tuesday appointed Toby Wells as its new city manager, despite multiple residents calling for a more transparent recruitment process during the public hearing.
Officials voted 4-1 to hire Wells, the outgoing city manager for Ceres, with the majority saying the council needed to quickly select an experienced candidate who can bring stability to Turlock.
Mayor Amy Bublak cast the opposing vote, criticizing how the council did not conduct public interviews to fill the position that Interim City Manager Michael Cooke committed to serving in until November. Councilwoman Nicole Larson said she proposed hiring Wells partially because he ranked highly in previous searches and starting a new recruitment process could cost $40,000.
“It is the fiscally responsible thing to do,” Larson said during the meeting. “It is capitalizing on a rare opportunity that we have one extremely well-qualified candidate who is willing to come to a city that is on the brink of insolvency and willing to take the challenge because it is his community as well. We don’t have time to waste.”
Wells is scheduled to start as Turlock’s city manager on April 20 after leaving Ceres on April 10. As a resident of Turlock for the past 21 years, Wells said he knows the issues the job will cover, including rebuilding public trust, bringing financial stability to the city and responding to homelessness. Calls for the council to act more transparently did not surprise him, Wells said, adding that regaining trust requires time, consistency and for members to deliver on their promises.
He described turnover as another challenge, noting that the cohesiveness of city councils generally changes as elected officials leave.
“The council is still relatively new (in) working together and there’s opportunity for them to learn each other’s styles to be more effective,” Wells said. “I believe I can help in that process.”
Council members Andrew Nosrati, Becky Arellano and Larson took their seats between December 2018 and February 2019, joining Councilman Gil Esquer, who was elected in 2016. Bublak also took the oath for mayor only about a year ago, after serving three terms as a council member.
Wells has been the Ceres city manager for six years and previously worked as the city engineer, as well as the director of public works and engineering. His other previous employers include the private company Pulte Homes, in Livermore and Turlock circa 1998, when he helped design Monte Vista Crossings.
The Hilmar native said he looks forward to serving Turlock and anticipates meeting with many community members when he starts.
“I know the issues, but I want to hear from the people that are dealing with it every day, so that’s the staff, council, business members and usually the community,” Wells said. “The first thing is really listening so that it’s absolutely clear how we go about implementing because that’s really my job as a city manager: taking those policy directions and getting stuff done.”
Ceres has selected Tom Westbrook, its community development director, to fill in as interim city manager after Wells leaves next month.
