UPDATE: Council will evaluate city manager’s job performance in closed session

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UPDATE 9/8/23: Due to a councilmember’s illness, the meeting has been canceled. No new date has been posted.

West Hollywood City Council will evaluate the job performance of City Manager David Wilson at an upcoming closed session meeting scheduled for Sept. 11.

The meeting comes on the heels of the controversial hiring of Nick Maricich as the city’s new Community Development Director, a process which Wilson oversaw. Maricich was selected by a five-member panel that included Jeff Seymour, a lobbyist with at least three major development projects pending in the city. City Hall attempted to stonewall Councilmember Lauren Meister when she sought more information about the process. Her subsequent column in WEHOville made waves within the community.

“Are they in the developers’ pocket? It sure looks like it from where I’m standing,” former Planning Commissioner Lynn Hoopingarner said of Maricich during a recent City Council meeting.

Wilson was promoted to City Manager in summer 2021 following the retirement of longtime City Manager Paul Arevalo.

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A closed session of a city council is a meeting or part of a meeting that is not open to the public. These sessions are also sometimes referred to as “executive sessions” or “in-camera sessions.” The purpose of a closed session is to discuss matters that are sensitive, confidential, or legally restricted, and therefore cannot be discussed in a public forum.

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Had Enough
Had Enough
1 year ago

I believe Mr. Wilson is being scapegoated. When I contacted his office and the City Attorney’s office regarding a rent decrease hearing decision that was taking forever, I received immediate responses. I believe there are many others at the City whose job performances need reviewing, especially a certain hearing examiner who bent over backwards to accommodate my landlord who is not only a slumlord, but a developer. Our building was rotting from the inside out, from the roof to the carport. This hearing examiner couldn’t keep up with my evidence, and no matter how many employees I contacted in Rent… Read more »

Had Enough
Had Enough
1 year ago
Reply to  Had Enough

Edit – CC as in City Council, should start there.

Keith Kaplan
Keith Kaplan
1 year ago

Though Mr. Wilson may have extraordinary credentials he has been a colossal failure in representing the residents and taxpayers of the city on matters of public policy and economic development. Unlike his predecessor, Paul Arevalo, he lacks the courage to stand up in opposition to the current council on these matters and he lacks the management skills to find the work-around to put this broken ship of a city back on track. In part this is the fault of a system whereby the city manager (and the city attorney) work for and are responsible to the citizens and businesses of… Read more »

Question
Question
1 year ago

Question is if Council Member Meister was so interested in having community entities involved in the selection of Community Development Director, why did she not initiate this concept long before John Keho was scheduled to retire. Might have changed the entire dynamic.

We're Broken, Broken, Broken
We're Broken, Broken, Broken
1 year ago
Reply to  Question

Council Member Meister was alway SO INTERESTED in having community entities involved in the selection of Community Development Director as have everyone else because it’s only common sense that it has been the case in the past. Meister should not have to micromanage the City Manager when his good judgment & common sense SHOULD be the reason he is hired. What I think is painfully obvious here is that the CM was unduly influenced by outside sources & I think it was downright naiive of him to think this would simply take effect without some red flags. I think it’s… Read more »

Question
Question
1 year ago

Do not see nor did Council Member Meister mention how she proposed to have the community entities involved in this process. Strategy and scope are not her strong points as she prefers tending to nuts and bolts. David Wilson may have been unduly influenced by others on the committee, which had limited sophistication and scope or led to believe that the new candidate was fully credentialed for the complex goals of the city. Only one City entity has this type of vision but was apparently not included. Jeff Seymour is another story entirely. He announced at PC on Thursday evening… Read more »

Question
Question
1 year ago

Seymour Consulting Group CV & Client List

https://seymourconsultinggroup.com

oneyedguy
oneyedguy
1 year ago

It’s hard to blame this guy……when the freaks on the city council remain in their jobs.

Dump Shyne and Erickosn
Dump Shyne and Erickosn
1 year ago

Don’t forget the former City Manger jumped ship during the dreadful Horvath’s shut down of the city. Also, how much did he take from BBB as finder’s feee now in Shyne or Erickson’s pockets. Williams is up against a city council with only Meister being a business person. Heilman teaches law. Shyne tells fortunes/lawyer. Byers who knows. Erickson is part-time VP of Planned Parenthood which is a joke!

Watcher
Watcher
1 year ago

Heilman “teaches” law as a secondary job. 1st & foremost, he’s a professional West Hollywood City Councilperona.

Vision
Vision
1 year ago
TBONTB
TBONTB
1 year ago
Reply to  Vision

It’s what’s up front that counts. Like the proverbial actor’s interview: “We know what you’ve done in the past. But what have you done recently?” As Shakespeare said: “Therein lies the rub.”

#wokeupweho
#wokeupweho
1 year ago

The citizen should have a closed session where they evaluate the BS+E Chelsea Byers, Sepi Shine and John Erickson. Three of the most dreadful and incompetent people ever elected the office California or the USA!

As for the city manager, he will probably be the racist scapegoat for the political hack City council Members or the BS +E!

Vision
Vision
1 year ago

David Wilson’s credentials are impressive as well as his demeanor. He has evidently been quite competent regarding the city’s finances and inner workings of the establishment for more than two decades. David Wilson’s style is low key and thoughtful which has great value but he must be accompanied by equally thoughtful city leaders that are capable of prioritizing and problem solving in this schizophrenic environment.

While Wilson may have gotten unnecessarily caught up in the hiring of the next Community Development Direct and unknowingly manipulated he might consider owning the moment and making a public statement regarding it.

Larry Block
Admin
1 year ago
Reply to  Vision

he apologized publicly

Vision
Vision
1 year ago
Reply to  Larry Block

Thank you.

Steve Martin
Steve Martin
1 year ago
Reply to  Vision

Thanks for providing his resume which really provides some balance.

WeHo boy
WeHo boy
1 year ago

Certainly hiring the best person for the job is always a good idea. Apparently, that was not done and as an outsider, I am only aware of one reason why that could be the case. And at $363,000 a year, I’m thinking the city should not be so generous with the taxpayer dollars.

Outraged
Outraged
1 year ago
Reply to  WeHo boy

NO ONE should be paid $363,000 a year from TAXPAYER funds. If you want to make that kind of money, go work for a private company. They tell all the workers doing the actual work at nonprofit organizations and other government offices that they cannot expect private industry salaries because they are “a taxpayer funded organization“, and then this guy makes that kind of money?? For what? When there are people who can’t pay rent and we basically have a nonexistent middle class and a working class that is barely surviving with the high cost of living in Los Angeles… Read more »

Larrabee 1
Larrabee 1
1 year ago

Need to hire based on proven experience…..not skin color or some form of “identity”.

greeneyedguy
greeneyedguy
1 year ago
Reply to  Larrabee 1

He has plenty of experience. Maybe you’re the one making this about “identity”

oneyedguy
oneyedguy
1 year ago
Reply to  greeneyedguy

Well he’s failing at his job…..so apparently he wasn’t qualified.

WeHo Proud
WeHo Proud
1 year ago

I agree with Steve Martin. I think that any change of city management under this majority of the council would be disastrous. We need to wait and see what the results are of the 2024 council election. Hopefully we can vote out Shyne and Erickson and replace them with two sensible grown ups. That is if there are any out there that are willing to run. What I’m not looking forward to is when Lauren Meister terms out in 2026.

Mikie Friedman
Mikie Friedman
1 year ago

Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that meeting!