Совет города Ломпока отклонил попытку увольнения мэра Дина Албро после закрытого заседания

Lompoc City Manager Dean Albro remained on the job Wednesday, a day after an effort to remove him prompted a crowd to show up to oppose his firing. Scheduled as a workshop involving the City Council and Planning Commission on Tuesday, the closed-session item was added to the agenda late last week. The three items included a public employee performance evaluation for the city manager, a public employee discipline/dismissal/release and an interim city manager appointment. After the five members met behind closed doors, City Attorney Jeff Malawy reported that they conducted a performance evaluation of Albro, giving him a satisfactory review. “The City Council also directed the city manager to initiate the process of filling the assistant or deputy city manager position. That was the conclusion of the performance evaluation,” Malawy said. “The City Council did not consider or conduct the discipline/dismissal/release closed session or the appointment of the interim [city manger} closed session.” The sudden performance review appeared on the agenda days after the City Council’s July 7 meeting, when Mayor Jim Mosby lashed out at public safety staff for the plethora of illegal fireworks on July 4 and few citations. He also appeared irritated that the firefighters union sought to reopen negotiations. Tuesday’s agenda items targeting Albro attracted a number of people to speak up for him along with multiple written comments supporting the city manager. Speakers included local residents, former elected officials as well as past and current employees, with Mosby the target of most of the comments. “I’m here to remind you this is a pattern of behavior by the current mayor,” said Jenelle Osborne, who previously served as mayor and as a council member. “Every time he’s been on this dais, he’s had a desire to fire a city manager. “He’s made life unbearable not only for the person in that position but for all of the employees. He doesn’t lead. He doesn’t understand what leadership is.” “I am appalled but not surprised, unfortunately. … Mr. Mosby is a control freak, micro-manager,” said Janet Blevins, a retired teacher and former school board member. Another critic and resident, Shawna Stillwell, also questioned Mosby’s leadership. “We don’t end someone’s career because they hold boundaries, follow policy or tell elected officials no. That’s called doing their job,” Stillwell said, warning that taking action against the city manger because of a personality clash means all the employees could become vulnerable to political retaliation. “Strong leaders don’t ask, how do I remove this person? They ask, what role did I play in creating this conflict? That takes humility and self-awareness. I don’t see that happening here.” “It is disappointing that this council appears willing to remove a city official while failing to address a man with 15 felonies,” youth activist Gary Jeffery said, referring to Councilman Steve Bridge’s criminal case and the silence of all but one council member. A prior City Council appointed Albro as the next city manager in December 2021, and he began the job the following month, replacing Jim Throop. At the start of 2026, Albro received his regular performance review followed by an amendment to his employment contract with a 3% pay hike, pushing his salary to $279,804. His original employment contract called for Albro to receive six months of salary if he was terminated without cause after July 1, 2022. Last year, the council approved a two-year extension for the contract, which now is set to expire Jan. 3, 2028. Albro has lived in Lompoc for about 50 years and graduated from Lompoc High School. He began working for the city in 2012, first as an accounting supervisor and then as an accounting and revenue manager. Before being named to the city’s top job, he spent three years as the management services director. Previously, Albro worked for 21 years in accounting for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Lompoc. Lompoc city retiree Brad Wilkie, the man who hired Albro and later worked for him, said he couldn’t stay silent Tuesday. “I just want to say one thing. Hiring Dean Albro was the best thing I ever did working for the City of Lompoc,” Wilkie said.