By Karen Gleason
A divided city council has voted to keep City Manager Matt Wojnowski.
The motion to dismiss Wojnowski failed by a vote of 3-4 during a special council meeting held Saturday.
Discussion of Wojnowski’s continued employment with the city was the only item on the council’s agenda.
Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano opened the meeting at noon and recognized Sandra Fuentes, a co-chair of The Border Organization, who had requested to speak to the council in citizen comments.
Fuentes urged the council not to fire Wojnowski.
She said Wojnowski seems to work well with other governmental entities in the area, including Val Verde County.
Fuentes admitted The Border Organization is not privy to internal city workings and said she does not know whether Wojnowski’s performance as city manager has been formally evaluated or if the council has given him an improvement plan for any perceived deficiencies.
“We’re here to speak about our working experience with Mr. Wojnowski, and it has been a very good one,” she said, adding she did not believe it would be prudent to fire the city’s top administrator while the city is still in the midst of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Please take the time to study, to reflect and to be fair and decide what is best for the city,” she said.
Following Fuentes’ comments, the mayor announced the council would move into a closed-door executive session for its own discussion. The council went into executive session and emerged less than an hour later.
Lozano reconvened the meeting and after announcing no action had been taken behind closed doors, asked if any council members had additional comments.
“Yes, mayor. As pursuant to the line item on the agenda, I’d like to move to adopt a resolution to separate employment without cause (of) our city manager, pursuant to Section 6.1 and 6.3 of the city manager employment agreement and Section 29 of the city charter,” Councilman Alfredo “Fred” Carranza Jr. said.
Councilman Steven Webb gave the second.
The mayor asked if there were any additional comments or concerns.
Councilman J.P. Sanchez said he had none.
Councilman Raul C. Ojeda said he had several comments and concerns.
“I do not believe taking this action at this time is not prudent, and it lacks foresight. Making a decision like this during a pandemic, coming out of a pandemic, lacks wisdom,” Ojeda said, adding the new members of the city council, in his opinion, have not had enough time to work closely with Wojnowski, assess his work and give him their feedback.
Councilman Jim DeReus also spoke in favor of keeping Wojnowski, and spoke directly to the city manager.
“There are things about your personality and leadership style that I find frustrating, because you’re not like me, and there are things about your personality and leadership style I like, because they’re not like me. I was going to make similar comments to what Councilman Ojeda did, because a couple of years ago there were very similar comments made from this dais about terminating the previous city manager,” DeReus said.
“Regardless of the frustration I sometimes have at the bureaucracy and the slow movement and slow pace of change that Councilman Ojeda also referenced, there’s been no line that’s been crossed. It’s just a difference of opinion, and I will be voting against terminating the employment of the city manager,” DeReus added.
Councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon had no comments, though she said after the meeting her vote reflected the will of her constituents.
The council then voted 3-4 on Carranza’s motion, with Carranza, Webb and Sanchez voting to fire Wojnowski and Lozano, Ojeda, DeReus and Falcon Calderon voting not to fire him.
After the vote, Lozano asked Wojnowski if he had any comments.
“No,” Wojnowski replied.
“Will you accept the continuation of your duties as city manager, then?” Lozano asked.
“Yes,” Wojnowski said.
