Seaside City Manager a no-show for public hearing he requested
SEASIDE – The Seaside City Council took no action Tuesday at a special meeting requested by City Manager Jaime Fontes, but that he did not appear for, regarding the council’s notice of the intended removal and termination of him as city manager, issued from April 18.
“I would ask, is the city manager Jaime Fontes present? Is his legal representative present? Is there any other representative present?” asked Seaside Mayor Ian Oglesby at the meeting. “It appears no one is present.”
Oglesby said, as this public is aware, in accordance with this city manager’s contract, the council has issued a notice of intent to remove the city manager, not for cause and place him on administrative leave in accordance with Seaside municipal code section 2.04.090.
“In accordance with that notice, and the city of Seaside municipal code, the city manager has requested his hearing be heard in public,” he said. “However, the city manager has indicated that he would not be able to attend and has not requested any other arrangement for this hearing.”
Oglesby opened the hearing and again asked if Fontes or his legal representative was present. He then opened the hearing to public comment on the matter, for which there was none, and closed public comment.
The mayor then closed the public hearing and stated that the City Council would not take any action at this point, and the public hearing was adjourned.
The meeting lasted about five minutes.
At a closed-door meeting April 18, the Seaside City Council placed Fontes on paid administrative leave and appointed Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges acting city manager while the governing body decides what action to take next.
At the time, Ogelsby said that he could not say why Fontes was put on paid administrative leave because it is a personnel matter. He said that with the city manager being on paid administrative leave, the City Council would do an evaluation and most likely discuss at a meeting slated for June 6, at which time the council will consider what action to take.
A week after being put on paid administrative leave Fontes sent a written notice requesting the public hearing.
On May 7, Acting City Manager Borges notified Fontes that the public hearing he requested would be held May 14.
In the notice of intended removal and termination by the city of Seaside, it says the Council voted the termination would be “not for cause: loss of Confidence.”
Fontes began his work with Seaside in July 2022, after prior City Manager Craig Malin resigned his post to spend more time with his family following COVID-19. During the search for his replacement, then-Human Resources Director Roberta Greathouse stepped in as acting city manager.
Before signing on with the city of Seaside, Fontes was the East Palo Alto city manager which hired him in 2019, where he completed his three-year contract that ended April 30, 2022.
In addition to his work with East Palo Alto, Fontes has served as city manager for Nogales, Arizona and Santa Paula and Greenfield.
