Kersnar Out As Ojai City Manager
By Mary M. Long
Ojai city manager Jere Kersnar was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday night by the Ojai City Council for undisclosed reasons.
Retiring to an executive closed session, council members deliberated for nearly an hour over the fate of this highly paid city employee. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b), the public employee discipline-dismissal-release code, Kersnar was officially relieved of his position immediately following the meeting. Council vote on this action was unanimous with all council members present. The city will be seeking an interim city manager until the position can be filled permanently. Asked to comment on this action, Mayor Steve Olsen replied that he was unable to do so. The official announcement was released at 10:55 p.m. Tuesday.
Kersnar was hired in October 2005, coming to Ojai from Lodi, where he served as deputy interim manager. He replaced Dan Singer, whose contract was not renewed.
Council members had not expected to make a statement Tuesday night, but were advised by the two attorneys who were present, city attorney Monte Widders and his associate Steven Lee, that since the council had taken a vote, they had a legal obligation to make an official announcement. The first vote was to put Kersnar on paid administrative leave and the second vote was to hire an interim city manager.
According to Steven McClary, assistant to the city manager, he received a phone call from Olsen Wednesday morning, confirming his position as de facto interim city manager until Monday. McClary automatically fills the seat whenever the city manager is indisposed or unable to hold office until the council can make further decisions. McClary accepted the position of assistant to Kersnar in March 2009, relocating from the city manager’s office in Fillmore where he held the position of administrative services manager.
Wednesday afternoon Olsen confirmed that former Ventura city manager, John Baker, will be taking the position of interim city manager of Ojai. Baker has served in this position in previous instances at the request of the city of Ojai.
Kersnar held the position of city manager of Ojai since Nov. 14, 2005 after the City Council, consisting of Rae Hanstad, David Bury, Sue Horgan, Joe DeVito and Carol Smith, voted to not renew Dan Singer’s contract in May of 2005. After months of research and interviews, Kersnar was appointed to the city manager position with a starting salary of $145,000, a $17,000 increase from his predecessor’s salary.
Kersnar was chosen from a pool of 67 potential candidates for the job who were selected by the independent executive research firm Bob Murray & Associates of which seven were invited for interviews with the Ojai City Council.
Reasons given at the time for their selection of Kersnar were that “he has a very strong city management background, including financial management and city planning,” according to then-Mayor Hanstad.
Kersnar, who said he was excited about accepting the position, cited similarities between his home town of Carmel and Ojai as both being tourist destinations. His ability to handle the fine balance between meeting the needs of local residents and enhancing the city as a tourist attraction were cited as reasons for his appointment.
Reached for comment on Wednesday, Hanstad said that in 2005 when Kersnar was being considered for the position she and Councilwoman Sue Horgan traveled to Carmel where Kersnar had held the position of city manager and interviewed the mayor of Carmel and council members who gave Kersnar an excellent recommendation. “I felt excellent about his appointment at the time,” said Hanstad, claiming that Kersnar had taken the position in Ojai at a “critical time” when Ojai was in a financial crisis and had been unanimously approved by the City Council.
Kersnar was reached for comment Wednesday, to which his reply was an official “no comment” response. Kersnar’s current salary from the city of Ojai is listed as $159,000 plus benefits.
all officials in the Ojai valley NEED their pay checks reviewed. Most if not all could take a pay cut and make this city better to live in…
sub
28 Jul 10 at 10:32 am
Mary Long, Thanks for staying late and reporting this!
Suza
28 Jul 10 at 11:10 am
what was his salary?
payday
28 Jul 10 at 11:27 am
I hear the City Manager from Bell is looking for a gig.
Just Another Taxpayer
28 Jul 10 at 12:57 pm
Thank God. It’s about time.
Resident
28 Jul 10 at 1:09 pm
I hear there is an opening for a city manager in the city of Bell if Jere is looking for a new job…
Jeff Spicoli
28 Jul 10 at 1:36 pm
I hear the City of Bell has room for more snarky residents.
Anonymous
28 Jul 10 at 2:09 pm
I wonder what happened? WHo is Mary Lomg?
B'bye!
28 Jul 10 at 2:26 pm
but WHY does he need to be replaced? Can’t the Mayor manage the city?
jessicadances
28 Jul 10 at 2:28 pm
how much PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE? Interesting story considering what happened down south. Is Ojai a “Chartered Town”?
4kids
28 Jul 10 at 2:34 pm
Goodbye to Yellowbrick Road .
surrender to oxnard
28 Jul 10 at 7:55 pm
A community’s issues are decided in a “closed-door meeting”? What is that? What’s with all the secrecy when our city’s administrators are asked questions regarding our community’s affairs? Ojai is a community, NOT a business. NOTHING that affects our community should be done, or kept, in secret.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jul/28/ojai-ousts-city-manager-for-undisclosed-reasons/#ixzz0v2MSTA4I
- vcstar.com
Netclimber
28 Jul 10 at 8:16 pm
Just the TIP of the ICEBURG, This Council did very little to protect the citizens right.People are treated differently when they have the same request.This problem has existed for a couple years, now,with the Mayor Pro-tem running again for election has action been taken. Pitiful! City staff have been replaced with the SUDDEN resignations. Well, we need a hand full more. It’s time that the staff of this town understand they are overpaid, underworked and have forgotten their job description. PUBLIC SERVANT! Some of our Council need to understand they represents us. Their job is not to restrain us and they have done a pretty good job for some time. The voters are going to take action with this falls election. We need new blood running this town.Anti-business anti-kid needs to stop.
anonn
28 Jul 10 at 8:18 pm
Still time for some of you to run for 3 open Council seats. No more members over 8 years they just aren’t effective. We need someone that has a sense of urgency not of entitlement. Some of the council have become arrogant and totally self-serving. How come they cave when the hard decisions come up like” We need all the money for Libby”. What are we 3 million short, that should go to the schools or streets not the out of town elite.
anon 5X2
28 Jul 10 at 9:43 pm
Dear Jere, See ya wouldn’t want to be ya!!
Pull the paid admin leave and get rid of his ass.
Maybe this will get you on the masthead Mary!
Shangrilalife
28 Jul 10 at 11:01 pm
Ah if it were so true….get rid of, and stop voting for special interest politicians!!
You get who you vote for…be it local, state or federal…and look at how terrible it’s been…get with it voters: vote for the candidate who isn’t a crook, special interest who runs to do the job.
So far, all aspects of California voting is in the crapper: stop voting for actors would be a start!!
Throw out all counci and planning. A few years ago, I watched the local planning commission take 15 minutes to figure out what specific shade of white to use on a sign!!??!!! Duh..white is white is white.
Do we really need such stupid people? Not if smart voters do their job.
True Guy
29 Jul 10 at 12:36 am
get rid of the city attorney also been here to long.why is city jobs being out sourced.let ojai run ojai not some idiot from out of ojai.case study should be done on cops cost down the road,say 5 yrs what would the cost be.ojai is only so big.stop and smell the roses.figure out what it cost to live in ojai city per person are we really getting what we pay for $120,000. or more for the city manager who has a asst manager maybe $80,000.
alnon
29 Jul 10 at 6:53 am
The problem is not voting. Bell a City of 40,000 had less than 500 cast a vote out of 9,000 eligible to vote for the change in city status that allowed the huge salaries. Lets face it for a city our size Jerry and Monte make much more per population than those in Bell and they are 5 times our size. The city manager of bell got around $20 per year per person Jerry gets $28 (X40,000=$1.1 million in Bell cities dollars). How can we afford to pay this and how can we allow our council to continue. Nothing happened when Betsy got there 4-1 against everything, 3-1 after Joe left. 5-0 after Paul gets in.Maybe we need more Paul’s
anonn
29 Jul 10 at 7:28 am
Maybe you’ll get a replacement just like the editor of
the newspaper? There’s plenty like Brad and Jerry K. to
be found. Carpetbaggers who ain’t got a penny. Sniffing
for tidbits (Ojai Quarterly, summer edition) on the ground.
Emerald City
29 Jul 10 at 9:06 am
posted on ventura star
jmedina (staff) writes:
in response to MisspentYouth:
Of course the big question is how much does Kersnar make as City Manager. Too bad the Star does not inform us of this fact.
Ojai City Manager Jere Kersnar earns a base salary of about $160,000 a year, according to a 2008 salary document. But he is eligible for an annual cost-of-living adjustment. We are trying to obtain more information. — Senior Editor Jim Medina
.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jul/28/ojai-ousts-city-manager-for-undisclosed-reasons/#comments#ixzz0v5pgv67E
- vcstar.com
look around it is in your face
29 Jul 10 at 10:23 am
someone who has been in this town for more than 10 years is no carpetbagger…and the new mag is actually very nice
no meanies
29 Jul 10 at 11:03 am
g0 to ojai valley news,click on city of ojai bottom left of page ,then click on city of ojai budget middle right of page.complete budget of ojai all 87 pages,have fun,if you think the manager is paid alot,check the cops at about $2.7 mill about $310 for every person in city limits.
alnon
29 Jul 10 at 11:29 am
Hmmm, $160,000, isn’t that the amount Blatz is looking to spend to “attract more tourists” to Ojai? Guess he found a way…Maybe he meant to use the $ to hire another tourist to manage the City. If I got “removed” from my job, I would not receive any $. Can’t our City play with the big boys and just fire him without throwing away our money?
Oldie Ojai
29 Jul 10 at 12:58 pm
$160,000 is $160,000 too much. These city council jobs should be voluntary. The only $$ the city should have to delve out is to pay expenses incurred while doing real business for our city. Volunteers have more heart and sense when it comes to their role.
4kids
29 Jul 10 at 3:15 pm
“These city council jobs should be voluntary.”
Go for it.
29 Jul 10 at 3:50 pm
If I didn’t have 4 kids and a fulltime job, I’d be there with bells on.
4kids
29 Jul 10 at 4:12 pm
4kids, you’ll be happy to hear that the Ojai City Council is mostly a volunteer position. Their modest monthly stipend covers expenses. If you count up all the hours they spend in City, County, Sacramento meetings and other public service, it averages about $2 an hour.
Suza
29 Jul 10 at 5:41 pm
People always have such good excuses for not doing whatever it is they think somebody else should be doing.
29 Jul 10 at 6:04 pm
Looks like Monte stuck it us again. Why did he let Council let Jerry go with a no Fire clause for 90 days after an election. Monte dosen’t have that clause. Way past time to let him go. Sue you screwed up again.
anonn
30 Jul 10 at 7:22 am
City Manager failed to house, feed and educate the
employees at (deleted). They cause more than half the crime in Ojai. This should be the main duty of the next
city manager. I’m not going to pay $25 (deleted) and have an illegal there spit in my food or
give me a contagious (infectious disease) like hepatitis
C.
arizona law now
30 Jul 10 at 8:00 am
I can’t believe that Rae and Sue thought that Carmel would say anything but good About Jere. If it was so good why did he leave Carmel for a dump like Lodi. Rae is gone but don’t let Sue make any more choices for Ojai.Find some one from a well run, Tourist friendly, small, efficient town and hire them.
AON
30 Jul 10 at 8:39 am
How does $2.00 an hour equal $160,000 a year? You must have gone to Nordhoff with math skills like that Suza…..
Oldie Ojai
30 Jul 10 at 9:30 am
Dear Oldie Ojai,
Ha! Ha! The City Council does not make $160,000 a year! That is the City manager’s salary. That’s what I was trying to say in my previous Comment!!!
When I was on the Council back in 1997 the monthly stipend was about $75.
This stipend had not been raised since the 1960′s. To make a long story short it was decided that the stipend should keep up with inflation. In 1998 or 1999 it was “raised” to $300.
As far as I know the current Council stipend has kept up with inflation. I’m not sure of the exact amount –probably around $400 –$600 a month.
One thing I want to add here is that if Ojai residents want diversity on the council it is important to compensate elected officials fairly for their time. Otherwise you risk ending up wth a situation where only wealthy or retired people can afford to serve as our elected oficials.
For example, a mother with school-age children would bring a fresh perspective to the Council table. She could use her monthly stipend to hire a babysitter and house cleaner which might make it more possible for her to serve.
PS I think I got a B minus or C at Nordhoff in math. I was so scared of Mrs. Fukazawa or however you spell her last name!!
Suza
30 Jul 10 at 9:58 am
Sh**, Az Law Now, I’d spit in your food…
Mrs. Anon 5
30 Jul 10 at 10:19 am
Diversity is overrated. Everybody claims to be for “diversity” and “tolerance”, just as long as it agrees with their opinions.
Nobody here knows why the City Council voted 5-0 to put Kersnar on paid administrative leave. It is private business, and the knowledge won’t improve anybody’s life. We elect the Council to make decisions for us, and they are protecting the City’s legal liability. Kersnar shouldn’t be shamed out of the job, otherwise can you imagine what the next candidate would demand to take a job for such a fickle municipality?
Well, enjoy the view from your high horse, and try to remember that ignorance is not a point of view.
Oh, Come On!
30 Jul 10 at 10:29 am
All Bow and Cowtow to Suza!!!!
She is certanly making it clear that she is a supporter of the presant regime in Washington that think that were are all stupid and ingnorant and should have no need to be concerned with how governmet should work.
Also everthing she states “MUST”!!! to seen as the absolute and with no doubt put onto it at anyway!!!
We all bow to you Suza, The Omnificant Guru!!!/ ;o…????
Gentalman Redneck
30 Jul 10 at 11:52 am
$2 an hour is still too much for what this city gets in return.
4kids
30 Jul 10 at 4:04 pm
Gentalman Redneck, get a brain. Don’t talk like you represent all of us, just your idiotic, racist friends that are here 24/7.
Just a kid
31 Jul 10 at 10:39 pm
Suza I’m more concerned on how it’s pronounced.
Anonymous
1 Aug 10 at 8:22 am
You’re right, Suza, we need more diversity on the city council. It occurs to me we don’t have a Left-Handed One-Eyed African American Trans-Gendered Latvian Circus Performer, either.
That must make you sad.
diversityblahblahblah
1 Aug 10 at 9:26 am
“and try to remember that ignorance is not a point of view.”
You obviously have both intelligence AND some wisdom, but the above statement makes it sound as if you might be new to Ojai. (Or to California. Or to the U.S. Or to the planet.)
1 Aug 10 at 11:43 am
Circus performers? I did that before.
“Here we are now (Ojai) entertainers.”
the real macaw
1 Aug 10 at 11:55 am
Just a kid,
You may benifit to read the Federalist papers, then you would see the flaw of calling me racist.Yet perhaps in 30 or 40 years you may have some wisom to see thing as they are, not by your age.The troubling fact is the majority of the young people now days belive that anyone that differs from your opinions is a racist, the is the present governments cry to anyone that opposes their point of veiw, and possibly 1/2 of Ojai.Yet at the same time you will tell us it depends how you interpet the word “is”. But we as adults need to overlook some of your rants, since your just a kid…I think you would also benifit in living in North Korea for a year, and then unless the rest of your brainwashing is compleated by them you will still have the Constitutional right to call me a racist.. I’ll be waiting for your postcard from the glorious DPRK
Gentalman Redneck
1 Aug 10 at 1:58 pm
the real macaw,
Nice…Yet most city council are like this anyways.
Yet i would like to know what perks this council gets? Gas, cars, meal tab, health insurance,clothes stipend? Gee kiddies, if thats the case then all you pay for in life is rent or a morgage.Is this info supposed to be public record? Like to know…
Gentalman Redneck
1 Aug 10 at 2:07 pm
There are NOT a lot of racist people in Ojai, there are only a lot of racist people on this blog. Any excuse they get, they claim illegal aliens then they go off and attribute every bad thing to day laborors. It is pathetic but it doesn’t represent Ojai. In fact they probably hail from Fillmore or Ventura.
Just a kid,
this is your statement, and it sounds like profiling to me, Fillmore or Ventura? I think if you invest the $20 in the online OVN and read the archives for the past 4 years you will find that most of the violent crimes here hail from Ojai Valley resedents, legal and illegal. You tell me to get a brain, well I’m not perfect yet at least I do my research before making an oppinion unless it is based a truth that should be self evident, i.e. a child being beated by an adult, or an animal. That’s just wrong and doesn’t need any brains to figure out that it’s wrong. Perhaps you may have more brains/ intellegence to me, but you lake wisdom.
I do not hate you or anyone else here or anywhere, yet I do have the right to my oppinion and the abillity to voice it for not. I must ask you to ask yourself this question and or anyone here this question, ” If you had the power to prevent and or silence me from my oppionion whould you use it, and or punish me if I did?” Let’s agree to disagree.
When it comes to the politics of Ojai I ask questions, and if I do claim to have the facts it whould be my duty to post them on a blog or website and leave the link on this posting, or at least the link to it. OVN does allow us to, so if your are in the know, then show me. Please don’t base it on hearsay or your oppinion and say it is fact unless you are in the presant area of the subject.
OVN needs to investigate their sources, we should to. Fillmore or Ventura, Just a Kid?
Gentalman Redneck
2 Aug 10 at 7:38 am
Is there the added perks of health insurance for council members, and do they pay a portion of their stipend into a PERS account?
Shangrilalife
2 Aug 10 at 9:33 pm
Thanks Shangrilalife,
where can we find this info? My guess that the CalPers whould be based on a administrators pay, $80,000 to $ 200,000. Lets say $150,000 and they are payed 3.5 to 10% of their pay, it varies. Mine was 10%. But they would be considered 1/2 time and lets say 5%, that’s $5000 per year and if they do a 4 year term that’s $20,000 in the account, or between $ 450 to $500 per month till death + a 3% increase each year.
Not bad for a so called volentary position if this is the case….
Now if the insurace is for life also…????
So your food, including some dinning out with your spouse or girlfreind and the possibillity for health insurance for the rest of your life…???? Not bad…
If these facts are correct…
Gentalman Redneck
3 Aug 10 at 11:40 am
Sorry, correction it would be $7500.00 per year so it would break down to $525 to $630.00 per month…
Gentalman Redneck
3 Aug 10 at 11:42 am
Why don’t you walk into City Hall and ask? Let us all know what you find out.
Oh, Come On!
3 Aug 10 at 2:38 pm
Two things: (1) Leave Suza be, you ignor-amus-es [-ani?] Her tone is consistently courteous; her opinions and viewpoints (most of which I wholly disagree with, by the by) consistently presented diplomatically; and, perhaps most importantly, SHE CONSISTENTLY EMPLOYS GOOD SPELLING AND GRAMMAR [yes, I'm looking at you, "Gentalman Redneck"];
(2) It’s the CITY ATTORNEY/rhymes-with-”Wonte-Midders,” who needs, um—how would Suza say this? Rhymes-with-”kit-shanning?!”
Probably not, but that’s how I say it. I mean, really: How is it that an attorney who almost singlehandedly embodies the reason there are so many lawyer jokes represents THIS so-called Valhalla? Indeed, “Wonte” is a consummate double-dipper—a fact that was most flagrantly in evidence during the City’s ill-advised “affordable housing” project’s planning stages. A fact SO evident I can hardly believe that, to date, no one’s come forth with home videos of “Wonte’s” off-camera, sotto voce chats with one of CEDC’s key players during City Council meeting “breaks.” (At the time, “Wonte” ALSO represented [perhaps still DOES represent?] above-mentioned key player, a.k.a., a MAJOR STAKEHOLDER in the projects, er, Project. (Although, in the years since Pearl & Bald Streets were made over into an “affordable housing” neighborhood, I see what Suza meant when she warned us 15 years ago about “Kar-ma-geddon” coming to town. Hell, even the local kooks then-against the Project were proved right: Not only have the units been sublet-to-the-hilt [in direct violation of the Rules for Tenancy], they have done absolutely ZILCH to improve the “quality of life” for LOWER INCOME, LOCALLY EMPLOYED RESIDENTS.)
In sum, “Midders, Esq.,” MUST GO!
Even if the fact that he thinks “pro bono” is a page out of the Kama Sutra speaks more to our fair City’s systemic corruption than it does to his stupidity…
Madam President
16 Aug 10 at 3:45 pm