As one of the most important infrastructure grants in San Juan
Bautista’s history hangs in the balance, the San Juan Bautista City
Council fired City Manager Larry Cain in a 3-2 vote Monday night.
Councilmembers cited poor performance evaluations and a lack of
communication on the part of the four-year veteran as reasons for
the termination.
San Juan Bautista – As one of the most important infrastructure grants in San Juan Bautista’s history hangs in the balance, the San Juan Bautista City Council fired City Manager Larry Cain in a 3-2 vote Monday night. Councilmembers cited poor performance evaluations and a lack of communication on the part of the four-year veteran as reasons for the termination.
“It’s a problem trying to get information out of Larry,” said Councilman Charles Geiger, who voted to oust Cain. “We all like Larry, but it’s not about liking someone, it’s about doing the job that needs to be done.”
The council returned the vote in front of more than 50 people who packed the council chambers Monday night – several of them, including Supervisor Anthony Botelho, speaking in favor of Cain and the importance of holding onto a $3.8 million federal grant that would revamp the Mission City’s dilapidated water and sewer system. Geiger, Mayor Arturo Medina and Councilman George Dias voted to fire Cain, while Councilmembers Dan Reed and Priscilla Hill voted against it in closed session.
“I think San Juan made one hell of a mistake, and at a bad time,” Botelho said. “Why they did it now with this great opportunity pending is beyond me. It could still come together – maybe Medina and Geiger and Dias have some sort of plan. But if it doesn’t come together they should be held responsible. That’s what they accepted (Monday) night.”
Botelho believes Cain has been instrumental in procuring the infrastructure grant, and trying to make the upgrades without him could be devastating for the city’s future.
The city hasn’t received confirmation from the San Benito County Water District that it will match $3.1 million to the $3.8 million federal grant. While the deadline was Tuesday, the federal government, which is granting a portion of the money to overhaul the water system, gave the city a 30-day extension to confirm it can finance the entire project, Geiger said. Without that confirmation, they will lose the grant, he said.
The three councilmember’s vote to fire the popular manager have also stirred rumblings of recall attempts against all of them. While nothing is official, Botelho predicted that if the city loses the grant a recall attempt could become a reality.
“Boy, we’ll have a full-fledged election then,” Botelho said, citing recall efforts against District Attorney John Sarsfield and Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz. “But if the council fails to get this grant, possibly it warrants it. If we fail we’ll never be able to fix the incoming water supply.”
While there is speculation that councilmembers were pressured by members of the water district to oust him, Cain – San Juan’s mayor before taking the city manager job – believes it is simply a political vendetta by Geiger and Medina.
“Geiger didn’t like me from the start – I beat him in the election and his campaign was to get rid of me. Arturo wasn’t too enthusiastic about me, either,” Cain said. “I feel they made a big mistake. The city is the loser in this situation.”
Cain said councilmembers gave him the opportunity during a closed session meeting a couple weeks ago to resign after 90 days, but he turned it down.
“I told them if you want me to be gone, you’ll have to fire me,” he said.
And that’s just what they did, except not for the reasons Cain believes, Geiger said.
“We set objectives and goals and you evaluate someone on performance,” Geiger said. “We had certain things we needed to happen and he just didn’t seem to get them done. He wants to make it a personal issue – it’s not personal, it’s business.”
Bad business decisions that cost the city money, a lack of communication between Cain and council members and a strained relationship with the county water district all influenced the council’s decision, Geiger said. He said Cain told John Gregg, director of the county water district, that he needed him to sign off on the matching funds. But Gregg wanted a better understanding of the grant and how San Juan would come up with its portion of the funding – more than $1 million – first, he said. Gregg did not return phone calls Tuesday.
“They bumped heads,” Geiger said, but he adamantly denied any pressure from the water board to fire Cain. “But we don’t need Larry to do this. I’ve been told by a number of people at the water board that they will help San Juan get the money. The sky is not falling, we are fine.”
While Geiger conceded a number of people spoke in favor of Cain at the meeting Monday night, he believes most of them were personal friends or relatives of Cain and the rest don’t have all the information behind Cain’s closed-door actions.
“If you saw what I see in closed session … People who get upset are upset because they don’t know the truth,” Geiger said. “People are talking about a recall – if it gets to that point we’ll put out the information. Then people in San Juan will know we’re doing what’s best for San Juan.”
The city will contract with the California League of Cities to hire a retired city manager to fill the position, but in the meantime Fire Chief Rick Cokley will serve as interim city manager, Geiger said. Geiger didn’t have a timeline for hiring another full-time manager, but is confident they will find someone soon.
“I believe there are all kinds of candidates in Hollister, Gilroy and Salinas that would be good city managers,” Geiger said. “Really, a business degree and a desire can get you the job. Larry came in with no background – it’s someone committed to keeping San Juan small. We’re going to find that person.”
And as for Cain, he said he started his new job bright and early Tuesday morning – pulling weeds from the flower beds at the Mission. But he doesn’t plan on being a volunteer gardener for long, he said.
“I’m going to look for something else,” Cain said. “But I’m going to take my time.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety and the city of San Juan Bautista. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
