T.O. city manager told he’s out

By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

City Manager Phil Gatch

An announcement that Thousand Oaks City Manager Phil Gatch, 64, was retiring was false, charged several speakers at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.

Several residents and community leaders accused council members of forcing Gatch to leave, expressing outrage over the action. Some speakers identified Councilmember Andy Fox as the instigator, seeking to further his own political agenda by ousting Gatch.

"Mr. Fox wanted to fire Mr. Gatch. He went to his office and demanded that Mr. Gatch resign and that if he didn’t, he would be removed," said Laura Lee Custodio, a former planning commissioner. "Mr. Fox, just who do you think you are? You do not represent anyone I know in this city."

Letters obtained by the Thousand Oaks Acorn include a statement of termination sent from Fox to Gatch and a letter from Gatch to Fox reviewing the details of a meeting the two held on March 23. At that time Fox called for Gatch to resign, stating that "the management of the city needed to go in a different direction, possibly with someone who was younger and had more energy," according to the letter. Gatch will vacate his office on May 6, with his termination effective June 30.

Fox may have violated city code, several speakers said.

City code states that "the city manager shall take orders and instructions from the council, as a body, only when sitting in a duly held meeting of the council, and no individual councilmember shall give any orders or instructions to the city manager."

"I am very concerned about the timing and the manner in which the resignation occurred," said Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Peña prior to the Tuesday meeting. "I want to make sure no council members have violated our code of ethics or the Brown Act."

Debbie Gregory, one of the speakers at Tuesday’s meeting, believes that Fox is seeking to create a majority voting block on the council, made up of himself and councilmembers Jacqui Irwin and Dennis Gillette, with assistant city manager Scott Mitnick taking Gatch’s place.

"Phil Gatch hasn’t done anything wrong. Mr. Fox has gone too far in advancing his political agenda instead of taking into consideration what is in the city’s best interest," Gregory said.

John Reid, chair of the city’s Residents Roundtable, appealed to the council to retain Gatch, arguing that the city needs stability, especially in light of the recent hiring of a new city attorney.

"We need Mr. Gatch now more than ever," Reid said. "He has done a great job in restoring stability to city council meetings and treats the public in a fair way."

That balance is what may have cost Gatch his job, according to Gregory. Gatch does what’s best for the city, regardless of politics, Gregory said. She believes that Fox will be able to influence Mitnick on key decisions, including development proposals.

Reid and Gregory both expressed concern that Gatch’s ouster may hurt the city monetarily at a time of budget constraints.

"It’s one thing to get rid of someone," Gregory said. "It’s another to threaten and coerce them. No one should be treated the way Andy Fox is treating Phil Gatch."

The strong feelings displayed by members of the public who came to speak on Gatch’s behalf showed their care and concern for the community and their outrage over what they perceived to be an injustice, Bill-de la Peña said.

Gatch is a longtime city employee, credited with playing a major role in the city’s development, helping draft the city’s general plan and retaining large areas of open space. He served as planning director of the city’s community development department from 1970 until 2003, when he became city manager.

"Phil Gatch has served the city extremely well, and we should all be grateful for his contribution to the quality of life we all enjoy here," Gillette said.

But Gillette would not confirm whether or not Gatch was being forced out. Council members held a closed session after the council meeting to discuss the issue. Closed-session discussions are not made public. When the matter is resolved, an announcement will be made, Gillette said. It is expected that the issue will be decided quickly with the naming of a new city manager.

Gatch, Fox and Irwin could not be reached for this article.