San Carlos City Manager Announces Retirement

August 20, 2010

Effective End of 2010..

Officially confirming what has been widely speculated for months, the City of San Carlos announced yesterday that City Manager Mark Weiss will be retiring from his post on December 18th of this year.   According to this article in the Mercury News, his last day on the job will actually be September 24, since he plans to use up accrued vacation time in advance of the retirement date.  The City Council has been working on a transition plan in advance of this announcement, and will appoint an interim City Manager shortly.

Weiss' 5-year reign as the City Manager will most likely be remembered for his “Two Paths” proposal for cutting the city's budget deficit in San Carlos, which led to the controversial decision to outsource the Police, Fire, and Park services in San Carlos.   His successor will surely have his or her hands full driving these initiatives through to completion, as well as ultimately balancing the City budget.

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19 Comments

  1. Arn on August 20, 2010 at 3:41 pm

    Isn’t this just SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO typical of many of our so-called government and political leaders????

    Let’s review:

    San Carlos is facing difficult financial issues that have in some ways divided our community.
    City Manager proposes radical changes to our City structure and then leaves in the middle of the process???
    Where is a sense of responsibility?
    What about the apparently very old fashion idea of finishing what one starts?

    Regardless of what one believes the solution to San Carlos budget issues is, don’t actions like these further erode the public’s confidence in our government leaders?

    This make a mess and then leave is no different than politicians spending money we don’t have, creating massive debt our kids and grandkids will pay off, knowing they will be safely into a fat retirement LONG before the bill comes due. But the politicians don’t really care about anything than getting re-elected which means putting their shot term gain ahead of our long-term future.

    All I can say about this latest development is WOW!



  2. Anon on August 20, 2010 at 6:38 pm

    I agree with Arn. Mr. Weiss was all upset with the pensions and benefits the Police and Fire personnel were getting. By staying only five years, he is also now entitled to all to those same benefits he opposed. I consider his run as City manager a failure. The budget has only gotten worse and we no longer have our own Police, Fire, or Rec departments. Like Arn said, Mr. Weiss created this deliemma with all the out sourcing of these departments, and is now going to retire before they are implemented (not before taking a THREE month long vacation).

    The Residents should demand that there be cuts now made in the City Managers office. The explanation given before for having three City managers was the fact that the city only a few Department Heads. With the City now on the verge of outsourcing Police, Fire and Parks and Rec. (about 75% of there current employees) is there really a need to have three City Managers to manage a town of 27,000 with only about 50 employees? I think there should be only ONE city manager after all of these out-sourcings go through.



  3. Anonymous on August 21, 2010 at 7:22 pm

    Anon,
    In all fairness I think there are only two city managers. The City manager and his deputy. Who is the third? Also, the Fire Department is already semi-outsourced. It is not run in any way by San Carlos staff, so those firefighters already do not exist on the city’s payroll. Also, Parks & Rec Maintenance was outsourced not the whole department.



  4. Anonymous on August 22, 2010 at 4:32 am

    I have to agree with earlier comments. I read in the newspaper that he’ll get 50-60% of over 200K – holey moley! He’s getting a pension of 100K a year for working for 30 years? Insane! How do I get me one of those careers?

    And the vacation time? After 5 years working for San Carlos he has 12 weeks of unused vacation? Did he ever take a day off? Must have been a nice vacation package we gave him.

    Seriously, good riddance. I’m only sorry that we’re stuck with his bill. Wish we could have used that money to keep another Park and Rec headcount.



  5. John Murphy on August 24, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    Outsourcing the City’s 911 dispatch center in 2006 to Menlo Park, outsourcing one the best performing police departments in the county, outsourcing the fire department, outsourcing and laying off some City parks employees. Failing to pass ballot measures to help financially support the City’s core services when San Carlos gets less return from property tax than almost all other cities in the County and is one of the only cities in the County without a utility tax. All the while employing some of the highest paid City staffs/department heads.

    These are not accomplishments that I would be proud of.

    I am a former San Carlos City employee of 21 years. Yes it’s personal, and it’s not a good feeling.



  6. Renzon on August 26, 2010 at 8:51 am

    Mr. Weiss,

    Don’t let the door hit you in the you know what. Thanks for screwing up the City of Good Living.



  7. Just a Cop on August 27, 2010 at 4:34 am

    Mr. Weiss

    Why wouldn’t you want to see your work through? As an Officer I know after making an arrest or completing an investigation I will be held to answer on my work down the road. So why not you? How will you know or be able to course correct your suggested path?

    I’m more confused as to your actions then where all the cities money went. Also if I was able to I would search your pockets before you left just to make sure what money is left is not leaving the city with you.

    Just a Cop



  8. Bill on August 27, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    no wonder sc police officers are conflicted about the city’s outsourcing plan…..today’s newspaper article reveals that 8 smc sheriff deputies make over $200K/year with overtime!!! and just wait til you see their pensions!!! how do i get one of those jobs???



  9. Deputy Dan on August 27, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    Bill you can’t do the work that’s why.



  10. Sal on August 28, 2010 at 12:21 am

    During the Police Services presentations by Redwood City and the Sheriff to the City Council, the difference in salaries and benefits between the Redwood City Police Officers, the County Deputy Sheriffs and the current San Carlos PD salaries and benefits were discussed.

    Redwood City’s Human Resources Director told the Council that Redwood City pays 20% more in “total compensation” to their Police Officers than does San Carlos.

    The County Sheriff told the Council that the Sheriff pays 10% more in salary to their Deputies than San Carlos does for their Police Officers.



  11. Anonymous on August 30, 2010 at 9:53 am

    And yet Sal the City Manager, Mayor and City Council will do away with the most efficient Police Department in San Mateo County.



  12. Anon on September 11, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    This is the 1st time I’ve looked at this blog in a loooong time. And now I remember why… It often contains rants from clueless, bitter, uninformed people.

    “How can I get that job?” Well, if you picked the public sector, went to graduate school, worked extremely hard for 30 years, and beat out very bright people in a competitive recruitment, maybe you could have. But, given the nature of your comments, I don’t suspect you would have made it.

    As for getting the police officer pension, same applies Bill. You actually have be willing to work nights and holidays for 25 years, have people assault you, be willing to get shot at and move toward the gunfire to capture the suspect, tell parents their child died in a car crash, manage a death scene investigation where a teenage girl blew her brains out while her parents were in another room, and then have some twit question whether you deserve your pension. I don’t suspect you could have done that either.



  13. Forgetaboutit on September 27, 2010 at 2:45 am

    Weiss left SC high and dry this week for good to go hit golf balls. Royce was too busy being a big shot with PG&E to ask Weiss directions to his path to no where. Maltbie will be the big hero now managing a city with no Police and Fire Department. So proud of you.



  14. Anonymous on September 27, 2010 at 5:45 pm

    Let’s not forget that when Weiss came in the city had already made budget cuts for 5 yrs. He didn’t create the mess, the councils and previous manager put us neck deep in it, and let’s not forget the Unions and their benefit bumps!



  15. Question Authority on September 27, 2010 at 8:10 pm

    San Carlos employment unions were the lowest in the county while the management was among the highest until they recently took a pay cut to avoid getting raided by the Feds like Bell Ca. Maybe that’s why Weiss split so fast.



  16. scott on September 28, 2010 at 4:44 am

    Nor would we want such an insolent and bitter pill to attempt it. He, Arn, and Matt Growcut belong in a room together.



  17. Anonymous on September 28, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    I saw the report on Management salaries that is going around, and Mark Weiss was below average in the Bay Area. Question Authority get your facts straight!



  18. Question Authority on September 28, 2010 at 11:02 pm

    Post pay decrease maybe. Go back to college Andy.



  19. Mary on October 7, 2010 at 3:53 am

    Seems like there are too many administrators now that the core services of San Carlos (police, fire & parks) have all been outsourced. My question is what are we now paying them to do?



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