San Bernardino fired their city manager Charles Montoya during a special meeting on Wednesday. The firing comes a week after a former employee accused Montoya of firing her in retaliation.
The City Council voted unanimously to terminate Montoya’s contract without cause.
Since his hiring last October, Montoya’s appointment has been criticized by the public.
On Wednesday evening, many speakers asked the Council to fire Montoya and hire a city manager that’s qualified.
"It is time for us to move up," said resident Dolores Armstead. "Why is it so hard to get someone credible?"
The city’s former financial director Barbara Whitehorn told the Council last week she was threatened — and later fired — by Montoya for raising concerns about the costs for the renovation of City Hall.
Whitehorn says she told the team in charge of the City Hall renovation that they would need $10 million annually to help pay off debt costs. She says the city doesn’t have that money.
“So I come to you Council with that information today,” Whitehorn said at the May 15 meeting. “Because I care about this city more than I care about my job, more than I care about anything else today.”
Rochelle Clayton will serve as interim city manager until a replacement is found.
