High marks on performance review lead to 3.1 percent merit raise
for City Manager Ed Tewes
Morgan Hill – City Manager Ed Tewes received high marks on his latest performance review that lead to $4,800 merit raise – along with other perks – approved by the Morgan Hill City Council on Wednesday.
The 3.1 percent salary increase brings Tewes’ annual salary to $159,300, close to others in his field in neighboring cities.
Gilroy’s long-standing city administrator, Jay Baksa, earns roughly $175,000 a year in a city whose population runs about 48,000. Over in Campbell, population 38,000, city manager Daniel Rich is earning about $170,000 in his first year on the job.
Here in Morgan Hill, it’s the first merit increase in nearly four years for Tewes, following an “excellent” review of his performance in 2005 by an ad-hoc committee comprised of Councilman Steve Tate and Mayor Dennis Kennedy.
Before Wednesday’s council meeting adjourned, Tate praised Tewes’ leadership during tough financial times. As city manager, Tewes is charged with preparing the annual budget and serving as the administrative head of city. He wears several other hats, too, including acting as executive director of the Redevelopment Agency and director of emergency services.
He has held the position for six years, which puts him in select company in Morgan Hill where only two people have held the job longer: Leslie Doolittle, from 1964 – 1971; and Charles Cate, from 1977 – 1984.
Before he was hired as interim city manager in January 2000, there was frequent turnover in the 1990s when five people held the spot on interim or full-time basis. The city hired Tewes full-time in July 2000.
Now, coaxing him to stay longer, Tewes’ new employment agreement includes longevity incentives such as a reduction in the principal balance on his home loan by $5,000 if he sticks around until July 2007. The city loaned him $475,000 in 2000 to help purchase a house in Morgan Hill. The current balance on the loan is about $413,000, Tewes said in an e-mail.
Before arriving in Morgan Hill, Tewes held administrative posts in four different California cities dating back to 1971, including city manager jobs in Clovis and Modesto.
“I look forward to the additional challenges ahead,” Tewes said Wednesday, thanking the city for its renewed confidence.
Morgan Hill adopted the council-manager form of government in 1958.
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill at The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tb*******@mo*************.com.
