A retired Morgan Hill city manager was chosen Monday night to fill in as Gilroy’s interim city administrator, according to Mayor Don Gage.
The Gilroy City Council voted 6-1 during closed session to appoint Ed Tewes, who retired as Morgan Hill’s top administrator in 2013, Gage confirmed on Tuesday. Councilman Dion Bracco was the lone dissenting vote, with Councilman Roland Velasco absent.
Tewes led the city of Morgan Hill for 13 years and will take over for Gilroy’s current city administrator, Tom Haglund, who is leaving Oct. 16. Tewes could start in Gilroy as early as Oct. 19 pending approval of his employment contract, Gage said.
Haglund is leaving the city he led for seven years for a job as general manager of the Tuolumne Utilities District in Sonora, where he has a second home.
“It was a pretty easy pick; it needed to get done,” Gage said, pointing to Tewes’ 40 years of management experience. “He knows South County.”
Tewes told the Dispatch his lengthy career in public service and local government isn’t over just yet. He referenced a line from the recent film The Intern, saying musicians never truly retire so long as they have music inside them.
“Well, I still have music in me and I’m looking forward to helping out the City Council in this interim period,” Tewes said, envisioning his appointment as one “clearly between two permanent appointments.”
He will manage the city and oversee its finances while a recruiting firm—which has not yet been selected—conducts a national search for the regular position. Throughout the process, Tewes said he would offer the council guidance on everything from regional issues to vetting candidates after a recruiter has selected them.
“I see my assignment as one of helping the council keep projects underway and prepare the organization for the next city administrator,” Tewes said.
Next, Gage said he expects the full council to select three councilmembers to serve on a subcommittee which will evaluate applications after they’ve been narrowed down by a recruiter. The subcommittee will also interview top candidates.
As the city moves forward with that process, its inner workings will remain confidential “because it’s a personnel issue,” Gage said.
Prior to Monday’s closed session, Councilwoman Cat Tucker explained that Haglund was to present his recommendations for interim city administrators, which the council would discuss and bring to a vote. Interviews with an unspecified number of candidates for the interim opening also took place behind closed doors, according to Gage.
Under the Brown Act, members of the public may be excluded from meetings to allow consideration of the appointment or employment of a public employee. Closed session general discussions on employment or salaries, however, are not allowed under the law.
Councilman Bracco did not immediately return a call requesting comment for this story.
