Selma City Manager Fernando Santillan was fired by the city council on Tuesday in a move that he claims was purely motivated by politics.
Santillan is out of his post following years of sparring with Mayor Scott Robertson.
The big picture: The Selma City Council voted 4-1 in closed session to fire Santillan, with Councilman John Trujillo casting the lone vote against termination.
- Deputy City Manager Jerome Keene was named as the interim city manager in Santillan’s place.
Driving the news: Robertson said during the council meeting that aggressive measures were needed to correct a city administration that believed “in its own superiority over the people.”
- Robertson justified the firing in part due to Santillan opposing how the mayor handled the swearing in of two new councilmembers last December.
- On Dec. 12, 2024, the city council held a special meeting to ratify the results from the November election and swore in Jim Avalos and Santiago Oceguera.
- The problem was that Trujillo and outgoing councilmembers Beverly Cho and Blanca Mendoza-Navarro were not present, leading the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office to send a letter to the city saying the council violated state law by not having the outgoing council ratify the election results before installing the new officers.
- City Attorney Neil Costanzo, who was also installed during the Dec. 12 meeting, wrote in a memo to the council that Santillan failed in his duties as city manager by continuing to recognize the outgoing councilmembers during a meeting on Dec. 19, 2024.
The other side: Santillan, speaking to GV Wire, said his firing was “purely politically motivated” and that there was not any wrongdoing involved.
- “It’s unfortunate that the taxpayers have to bear the risk and cost of such behavior by the city council,” Santillan told GV Wire. “But at the end of the day, I’m very happy with the financial condition of the city, despite the liability caused by the mayor and the council.”
The backstory: Robertson has feuded with Santillan for years and filed a complaint in October 2023 claiming that the city manager harassed and intimidated him.
- One of the allegations in the complaint was that Santillan sent a message to Robertson and the rest of the city council addressed as “Members of the Selma City Council” instead of “Mayor and Members of the Selma City Council.” Robertson said in the complaint that Santillan made an attempt to subtly disrespect him.
- The allegations against Santillan were not substantiated.
- Santillan filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the city and reached a settlement on a new contract that would require a 5-0 vote from the city council to terminate him.
- The settlement, which was approved last November, guaranteed Santillan severance pay of $342,000 if he was terminated in a vote that was not unanimous.
What we’re watching: Costanzo told GV Wire that the vote to revise Santillan’s contract was invalid because the councilmembers allegedly violated the government code for self-enrichment.
- Per Costanzo, the city only owes Santillan accrued salary and vacation pay and will not pay out any severance.
- Costanzo said the city is referring the matter to the Attorney General for criminal charges and will file a lawsuit against Santillan to recover the money paid to him under the supposed void contracts.
- Santillan plans to fight the city in court to receive the severance.
