New mayor is strong out of the gate
Alan Webber hasn’t wasted any time.
He was sworn in as mayor a week ago Monday. Two days later, he announced a department-by-department review of the top positions in city government.
About 67 “exempt” employees — considered at-will staffers, outside the civil service protections of workers in “classified” positions — were told to reapply if they want to keep their jobs.
And the Webber administration opened up the application process for the jobs. It “will consider the full spectrum of qualified and interested candidates for each position,” said a City Hall announcement.
“This approach lets me get to know our senior staff on their own merit, and at the same time review the most qualified and capable talent in our government and in our community,” Webber said.
It’s a strong move, possibly unprecedented at City Hall. “Strong” is the appropriate adjective, as Webber’s move comes as Santa Fe shifts to its version of strong mayor government.
Webber, under voter-approved city charter changes, is officially the city’s “chief administrative officer.” The mayor chooses the city manager, city attorney and city clerk with the consent of the City Council. He supervises those top three executives and can fire them on his own.
The charter changes also say the city manager — still Brian Snyder, a holdover from the Javier Gonzales administration — is supposed to have “the power to hire and fire all city employees, except for the city attorney and city clerk.”
So the charter amendments are blurry. Does the city manager really have power to hire and fire city employees if a mayor who can fire the city manager and wants his own team is in the office next door?
Webber, in any case, has wasted no time in clarifying who’s in charge. He announced the day after his inauguration that it will be Webber himself who “will conduct a full review of qualified candidates” for police chief.
Santa Fe city government has been plagued with financial management problems the past several years. A state audit found that portions of a $30 million parks bond issue weren’t spent properly, and a recent review by outside accountants was harshly critical of a lack of financial controls. The general populace wants potholes fixed and weeds cleared from roadway medians and rights-of-way.
Webber said he’s open-minded about current city staffers. “We might already have the right person for the job,” he said
But his decision to open up the high-level exempt positions appears to signal that he’s willing to shake up City Hall and clean house if necessary to improve operations.
That also means he’s taking responsibility for what happens moving forward. And that’s a good thing.