Mayor Bob Filner paraded 24 staffers before the media in January to show a diverse crowd would be working for San Diegans.
Since then, nearly a third of those staffers have left or taken different positions with the city, and Filner has announced a new line-up of staffers.
On Monday, Filner announced former County Administrator Walt Ekard would take over as chief operating officer and that retired Army Col. Tony Buckles, his longtime congressional chief of staff, would be his chief of staff in the mayor’s office. There are other changes too.
But here’s a quick look at what’s happened to the staffers Filner announced back in January. We’ve got more details on why these staffers left – and others who’ve also bagged their city gigs – below.
• Vince Hall resigned last Friday in the wake of continuing calls for Filner’s resignation:
As a lifelong activist for women’s rights and equality, I feel I must resign effective today.
— Vince Hall (@vincehall) July 12, 2013
• Allen Jones resigned in late June. He told Voice of San Diego he could no longer watch the mayor demean staffers. “On a number of occasions, I talked about how I thought the way the mayor interacted with and treated mayoral staff and members of boards and commissions and others was demeaning and abusive. And it, most importantly, undermined his ability to pursue the progressive agenda he campaigned on,” Jones said.
• Irene McCormack appeared to have resigned alongside Jones but U-T San Diego later learned she has a new position in the city.
In other Filner news, looks like Irene McCormack still works for city. Transferred to Human Resources on July 2, according to PRA response. — Craig Gustafson (@gustafsoncraig) July 10, 2013
• Donna Frye, one of three former supporters now calling for Filner’s resignation, left her post as director of open government in early April. She didn’t elaborate on her reasons for leaving the job, but she told KPBS it was “too much” to balance with her duties as president of Californians Aware. Filner, who touted open government initiatives on the campaign trail, has yet to hire Frye’s replacement.
• Like McCormack, Lea Fields-Bernard was transferred to the human resources department on April 13. She previously served as the mayor’s director of appointments, records requests and compliance.
• Brenda Lugo is one of at least three mayoral schedulers who have left their jobs since Filner took office. Lugo, who previously worked for former Councilman Tony Young, left her mayor’s office gig effective Feb. 11, just over two months after she took the job.
• Steve Hadley left his post as deputy director of open government on April 27. Hadley, Frye’s former City Council chief of staff, has not detailed his reasons for leaving.
• Rob Wilder, a well-known solar energy advocate, performed the same role for Filner until he left his job on May 13. He hasn’t publicly shared his reasons for leaving.
These aren’t the only staffers who have left the city since Filner took office.
Here’s a list of others who have moved on since Filner’s December inauguration:
• Kelly Broughton, the city’s longtime development services director, left the city on May 9 to take a similar job in Chula Vista.
• Former Chief Operating Officer Jay Goldstone left that post effective Jan. 11, though he assisted with some tasks through mid-April. He had worked for the city since 2006.
• Financial Management Director Mark Leonard left his city job on March 16. He joined the city in November 2010.
• Manager of Constituent Affairs Shalen Maharaj left his post on May 13, about four months into his new gig.
• Director of Scheduling Loretta Martinez and Deputy Director of Scheduling Nancy Contreras left earlier this year. Both held their jobs for about 30 days before moving on.
• Ed Plank, a well-regarded staffer who spent more than two decades with the city, left his latest post as acting director of purchasing and contracting on Feb. 9.
Many of these details on staff turnover come from records obtained by VOSD after a public-records request. We recently asked the city to provide an updated list of staffers who have left the city but have not yet received those documents.
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