‘Tired of having a revolving door’: Turlock council clashes over recruiting process
The Turlock City Council on Tuesday rejected a resolution designed to prevent elected officials from hiring executive job applicants a contracted recruitment firm deems unqualified.
Council Member Nicole Larson requested officials allow CPS HR Consulting to vet candidates for five open leadership positions and then interview finalists.
Turlock needs an unbiased search, Larson said, instead of the council handpicking applicants amid high turnover rates. The council previously approved paying CPS HR Consulting up to $100,000 to recruit a city manager, police chief, fire chief, development services director and municipal services director. Hiring a city manager is the priority, and Larson said the council being scheduled to discuss the position in closed session prompted her request.
Larson’s resolution failed 3-2, with Council Member Andrew Nosrati joining Larson in favor. Citing her experience managing a building company for more than 20 years, Council Member Pam Franco said she is capable of reviewing resumes and determining whether candidates are qualified. Franco added she wants to see everyone who applies.
“I’m a little offended by the fact that you think that we would make this totally political,” Franco said. “It is our job to pick the city manager.”
Both the city manager and city attorney serve at the will of the council. Council members know Turlock best out of anyone reviewing applications, Mayor Amy Bublak said. The council cannot promise to hire a long-term executive, but Bublak said the they have to find a leader who fits Turlock in this moment.
“City managers come and go,” Bublak said. “Fire, police chiefs, they’re all cyclical. It’s a three-to-five-year thing. It’s partly political; it’s unfortunate.”
The last Turlock city managers, Toby Wells and Bob Lawton, worked for about nine and 13 months, respectively. Bublak, Franco and Council Member Rebecka Monez put Wells on investigatory leave in January before approving a settlement agreement with him in May. Larson and Nosrati voted against both decisions.
During the meeting Tuesday, Nosrati referred to how Bublak criticized the process of hiring Wells in 2020. At the time, Bublak told The Bee the process moved too quickly and the city should have opened a new public search.
Larson said she did not mean to offend anyone with her resolution.
“I’m trying to stand up for the people that are probably sick and tired of having a revolving door and having our administrators look as if there’s a political vendetta or if there’s something that’s inappropriate going on,” Larson said. “I don’t want that anymore.”
Concerns expressed over city attorney
Nosrati also raised concerns over the council’s 4-1 vote Tuesday to appoint Interim City Attorney George Petrulakis as the contract city attorney. While Petrulakis is very qualified in the private sector, Nosrati said he has less experience and capacity to deliver services city staff need.
“We are intentionally as a council lowering our standards for what qualifies an individual or firm to serve as a city attorney,” Nosrati said. “I don’t understand, frankly, why this decision is being made outside of George is a really likeable guy.”
Petrulakis has provided city attorney services on an interim basis since March, after City Attorney Doug White’s resignation became effective. White submitted his resignation in the same January meeting the council put Wells on investigative leave. He and his firm, now White Brenner LLP, had provided city attorney services for Turlock since March 2019.
Staff could not answer questions during the meeting about how Petrulakis’s rates compare to White’s. Nosrati and Larson previously questioned the service differences in February before the council appointed Petrulakis by a 3-2 vote.
Petrulakis did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Bublak, Franco and Monez on Tuesday praised Petrulakis’s performance, adding he has helped the city work on a variety of issues such as homelessness and COVID-19. Petrulakis does not get caught up in bureaucracy, Bublak said, and staff have reported he thinks outside the box.
