By DAVID LOPEZ
Special to the NEWS
San Benito City Commissioners on Tuesday’s meeting held an executive session to decide on the bi-annual evaluation of City Manager Manuel De La Rosa.
After 30 minutes of deliberation, City Commissioners emerged with approval of De La Rosa’s performance rated as “above satisfactory.” De La Rosa is now granted a $5,000 raise added to his current salary.
“We just evaluated him as ‘above average,’ so that means he gets his $5,000 added to his annual salary like the contract states,” said San Benito Mayor Ben Gomez. “We’re giving him a just evaluation.”
According to an email from Public Relations Director Martha McClain, De La Rosa’s current salary is $115,000.
Commissioners Carol Lynn and Rene Villafranco voted in favor to De La Rosa’s evaluation of “above satisfactory” while Commissioners Rick Guerra and Antonio Gonzales voted in opposition. According to Commissioner Guerra, Mayor Gomez’s vote was the tie-breaker that ruled in De La Rosa’s favor.
“De La Rosa pours nothing into the city,” said Commissioner Guerra. “He knows my vote though.”
De La Rosa’s term has stirred internal controversy recently when an executive session in September, requested by Commissioners Gonzales and Guerra, discussed his termination. It was unstated why the two commissioners requested De La Rosa’s dismissal. Ultimately De La Rosa kept his job, and now the commissioners are split on their political opinions of him.
“I would like to thank the mayor and commissioners for their continued support. I look forward to continuing my efforts to lead the City of San Benito in its future growth and development,” De La Rosa said.
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Totally agree on blackmail! de la rosa has no business being our city manager since day one he’s a disgrace just like the others who sit on the community board I pray God exposes all of them, everything they have conducted in deceit to be brought to light, so they are forced to quit and send this town some God-fearing people whose interest will be for us the citizens of San Benito not like the ones we have that are and have been conducting in dirty deeds, for there self-gains!
Totally agree on blackmail! de la rosa has no business being our city manager since day one he’s a disgrace just like the others who sit on the community board I pray God exposes all of them, everything they have conducted in deceit to be brought to light, so they are forced to quit and send this town some God-fearing people whose interested will be for us the citizens of San Benito not like the ones we have that are and have been conducting in dirty deeds, for there self-gains!
It’s probably blackmail… He prob knows and has dirt on SB mayor and or people that work for the city of San Benito! It’s all bunch of BS , politic and scammers ! Harlingen is 100 times better than San Benito… San Benito is runned by same generation families that dont want this town to grow. Take a look at downtown all run down businesses. It’s pathetic!.. along with the school district!
I’m not a San Benito resident but why isn’t anyone questioning the proposed raise? This guy was on the chopping block and is now eligible for a raise?
Something is really wrong here! What has changed? Taxpayers in San Benito need to ask and get answers!
Don’t be like Harlingen who allowed a man become a city manager with only high school diploma!