BREAKING: Interim Ojai City Manager Resigns Due to “Discord”
Mark Scott is going home. And he's not coming back
This story was updated at 4:20 p.m. Nov. 14th to include statements from Mayor Betsy Stix and Councilwoman Rachel Lang.
I’m breaking form today to bring you big news from the City of Ojai. In an email sent to City Council members just after midnight on November 14th — following a closed session meeting on November 13th — Interim City Manager Mark Scott confirmed that he’s leaving Ojai, and he’s not coming back.
On November 6th — just over a week ago — I asked Scott how long he planned to stay with the City of Ojai. He responded, “I am here until end of January and if I take off a few weeks, could stretch out to February.” Clearly, his departure was abrupt and unexpected. Adding to the drama: there’s a regular City Council meeting scheduled for tonight. (Remember: Council meetings are broadcast live on YouTube.)
In the Nov. 14th email, titled “Loose ends,” Scott wrote:
“FYI, I am going home tomorrow and do not plan to come back. I have a few loose ends on encampment issues and advice we got today from the County on the ERF [Encampment Resolution Funding] grant. I will share those thoughts separately.
“Beyond that, words fail me right now. I know I will always regret my abrupt departure, but I just cannot tolerate the discord. I told you from the beginning what I stand for. I am a mismatch here.
“If people ask, I would just tell them the plain truth. I am glad I had this time in Ojai. I feel like I had exhausted my ability to help. My rapid departure is my bad, not the Council’s.
“I wish you all wisdom and graciousness.”
When asked for additional comment, Scott emailed, “I never make statements when I leave a City. Just thank yous.”
Closed session meetings, as we’ve discussed in previous stories, have proven to be highly contentious for this Council. The Ventura County District Attorney’s (DA) office declared in May that the entire City Council violated California open meetings law the Brown Act by inappropriately discussing public business in private.
As of 2:40 p.m. on Nov. 14th, Councilwomen Suza Francina and Leslie Rule provided responses to a request for comment. As of 4:20 p.m., this story has been updated to include statements from Mayor Betsy Stix and Councilwoman Rachel Lang:
Mayor Stix:
“Last night our Interim City Manager Mark Scott resigned. We thank him for his service and all his hard work on behalf of our community. We are grateful for his time here and wish him all the best in his next adventure. As Mayor, I have appointed assistant city manager Carl Alameda to be acting City Manager subject to ratification by the council at the meeting on November 28th. On November 28th, the council will consider the next steps for the City Manager recruitment including the next Interim City Manager. I would like to reassure the community, my council colleagues, and our wonderful city staff that I am confident in the continued operations of the City. Our strong staff is the root of Ojai’s success, and I look forward to continuing to work together to maintain and improve our community. I am grateful for the staff’s service and commitment to Ojai and all the hard work in the chambers, behind the scenes, and out in the town. Thank you, Mr. Alameda, for stepping in as our acting City Manager.”
Councilwoman Francina:
“Mark is a seasoned city manager. He was patient, hardworking and diplomatic in all his communication with the council. He's seen it all! Something has to be really amiss for someone like him to just up and leave before his time as interim city manager was officially over.”
Councilwoman Lang:
“Mark Scott helped us move through a tough transition when James [Vega] left, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him. He is a model of heart-centered leadership and dedication. He helped us develop solutions to serve the unhoused in our community better. He helped organize our paving plan, fielding questions and concerns from community members along the way. I am grateful for his effective and efficient management style. He has also helped with our recruitment efforts of the many staff positions that remain vacant at this time.
“It has been an honor to get to know and work with him. We knew he wouldn’t be with us long, but I am disappointed to see him leave sooner than expected. At the same time, I understand his reasons. On day one, in describing his leadership and management style, he asserted he believes in unconditional positive regard for the council members with whom he works. Discord is not in alignment with those values.
“I have been advocating for an ethics policy to help us create a framework to hold one another accountable and promote peace, equity, and justice. I will be more vocal about that in light of Mark’s departure. It is time for us as a council to heal from the past and work together for the good of Ojai. I’m passionate about good governance and policymaking. I’m committed to prioritizing those efforts moving forward.”
Councilwoman Rule:
“It is impossible to overstate how much Mark Scott did for our little city in the short time he was here. He worked tirelessly on our most pressing issues. And remarkably, he had started to rebuild my trust in city management. I will miss his kind and gracious spirit; and most especially his words of wisdom borne of experience. I hope he knows how grateful we are.”
Here’s the bottom line (in my view): the City’s search for full-time City Manager candidates just became more difficult. I’m reminded of something Councilwoman Francina said to me during an interview earlier this year: “If we [the Council] don't behave ourselves, we're not going to have a City Manager.”