Christina Turner, who has served as Morgan Hill’s Assistant City Manager for Administrative Services since the beginning of 2016, was selected Sept. 6 as the city council’s top choice for the position of city manager.
The council voted in closed session to authorize the mayor and city attorney to begin negotiating a contract with Turner for City Hall’s top staff position, according to Mayor Steve Tate.
Turner’s salary, benefits and other compensation as city manager will be determined at the end of the negotiations, which city officials hope to complete before the end of the month. After the contract is settled, the council plans to appoint Turner to the city manager post at the Sept. 27 meeting, Tate said.
Turner, who the city hired from the City of Gilroy in January 2016, said she is excited to begin working as Morgan Hill’s city manager as soon as the negotiations are complete.
She cited her previous work in South County—which brings a depth of knowledge of the region where Morgan Hill officials are continually in pursuit of ongoing partnerships—as one aspect of her qualifications for city manager. She also thinks her “strong financial background” in both the public and private sector influenced the council’s decision to point to her as the top candidate for the job.
As city manager, Turner said she wants to “continue to cultivate the good morale we enjoy at the city, and find ways to keep the team energized and doing great things for Morgan Hill.”
She added, “We have an amazing group of talented professionals.”
Turner will replace outgoing City Manager Steve Rymer, who accepted a position last month as the city administrator of Rochester, Minn. Rymer, who has been Morgan Hill’s city manager since 2013, has said previously will remain in Morgan Hill through the end of September.
The city hired Turner at an annual salary of about $189,000 in 2016, not including benefits. Rymer’s salary for 2016 was about $248,000, according to the city’s website.
The council spent their day Sept. 6 in closed session interviewing Turner and three other city staff members for the city manager’s position. The other applicants who made it to the council interview were Police Chief David Swing, Community Services Director Chris Ghione and Economic Development Director Edith Ramirez.
The interviews included a series of questions from the council members, as well as a self evaluation, Tate said.
“They all did a fantastic job,” Tate said. “Any one of them could have done the job (of city manager). Christina came out a little bit better than anyone else. She’ll be an outstanding team leader, and keep the same spirit going that Steve (Rymer) has created. We’re very excited to have her.”
Shortly after learning of Rymer’s planned departure from Morgan Hill, the council decided they wanted to appoint an employee who is already working at City Hall, rather than conduct a nationwide search for the best candidate.
Turner previously served as the City of Gilroy’s Finance Director and Treasurer. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
