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Morro Bay hires interim city manager

January 31, 2014

morro bay plantThe Morro Bay City Council has hired an interim city manager at $13,000 per month.

The council appointed former Beverly Hills city manager Ed Kreins to succeed Administrative Services Director Susan Slayton in bridging the gap between Andrea Lueker, who resigned from the position earlier this month, and a permanent replacement. Slayton has served as acting city manager since Lueker’s departure.

Kreins served as city manager of Beverly Hills for 11 years. Prior to that, he served as police chief of Sausalito.

Since his retirement, Kreins has served as interim city manager for six cities, including Pismo Beach. He also served as interim general manager of the Nipomo Community Services District.

“I am pleased in the council’s confidence in appointing me interim city manager and am looking forward to working with the mayor, council members and city staff,” Kreins said in a city news release.

Kreins is expected to begin work in Morro Bay in early February.

Morro Bay currently has an interim city attorney, as well. Lueker and former city attorney Rob Schultz both resigned after Mayor Jamie Irons called for their firing.

 


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Jamie (in the hat) explaining the economics of hiring a retired annuitant…it made sense to his council: .www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0aPKvNI9ek‎


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The Retired Annuitant program is just another example of the govt. gravy train that we have to fund. Once you’re on board, you never get off. It’s an example of the public employees “welfare system.”


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Actually, you do have to get off. After 6 months the annuitant must either quit being an annuitant, or quit the job.


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Looks like a great fit. I did a little research and found that not only was Mr. Kreins an interim city manager for Pismo Beach, he is a true local who resides in Nipomo. In fact, unless there are two people named Ed Kreins living in this county, he was the 2012-2013 San Luis Obispo Grand Jury foreperson.


He should, by virtue of that local experience, have a very good idea of the “lay of the land” and know a lot of the government officials here in SLO County – and be all the more effective for it. I would not have necessarily objected to someone from outside the County, but I think that his being a local will enable him to be optimally effective right from the start.


It may have been during his tenure on the Grand Jury (if this is the same Ed Kreins) that the first contact with Morro Bay City government was made. I found a June, 2013 letter from Mayor Jamie Irons to then-Grand Jury foreperson Kreins. The letter was in regards to a Grand Jury investigation of email usage by government officials. The letter says, in part:


“This letter is in response to your April 30, 2013 request for information regarding “Email

Accessibility to City Government”. First and foremost, we would like to thank you for your

Commendation for our rapid transference of City Council members’ personal emails to City

domain emails for conducting official business.”


I also like the fact that Mr. Kreins has a law enforcement background. That will help him to better understand the issues that Chief Christy deals with.


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Aw, mbac1, why’d you have to go and bring reason and rational thinking into this? Couldn’t you tell by the comments below that this was supposed to be a purely emotional discussion?


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Sorry, slophocles. I will try to think of something bad to say about Mr. Kreins. ;)


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Strike one: Appointed by loose cannon City Council.

Ball one: Former Beverly Hills City Manager.

Strike two: Replaces competent manager ousted by loonies mentioned above.

Strike three: Strident support from mbactivist and sophocles.


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Well put, Racket. Nice sports metaphor too.


Interims are well known for “toading” for extreme and arrogant council majorities. I agree with MBactivist, looks like a “good fit”. Irons has very likely picked a great puppet.


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Fascinating….


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Here’s a better (and more timely) one: Leuker was a good running back under the old coaching staff but when they were FIRED (for too many losing seasons), and and a new coaching staff came in with a new game plan, this stubborn, much too comfortable running back refused to run the plays the way they wanted. She was still very loyal to the old coaching staff and resented them being booted and still wanted to run THEIR plays. So the new coaching staff put her on waivers, cut her, and went looking for a new running back that could get the ball across the goal line when they needed. Luckily, there was this savvy, old, Marcus Allen-type veteran free agent available, with a few good years left in him, looking to contribute to a WINNING TEAM so they signed him on an interim basis. Like the former running back, he had the experience and talent, but what separated him was his willingness to be a TEAM PLAYER that they could count on in crucial games, much like the one coming up tomorrow, because it is this new coaching staff’s intent not just to make it past the first round of the playoffs every year, but to make it to the SUPERBOWL!


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it woulda been better if you’d used a quarterback for your analogie. because a quarterback is kind of like a manager and we were talkingg about a city’s manager.


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Oh, give me a break.


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nicely done, as usual, slophocles


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No crying allowed in the big leagues. Let’s move forward.


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“Big leagues?” This Mayor and majority council is strictly BUSCH LEAGUE.


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It’s just wonderful to see all the right criteria being used to evaluate Mr. Krein’s qualifications and ability to do a great job for Morro Bay.


Never mind his extensive experience in city management. Who cares about that? Never mind the fact that he was chosen to be and served as our county Grand Jury foreperson. That doesn’t matter. Never mind his local connections and knowledge. That’s not important.


Let’s get to what is REALLY important – the true measure of the man. Of course anyone appointed by the Council members you don’t like has to be bad, right? Of course, since he is replacing Lueker, he has to be bad. After all, she’s your pal. Naturally, if anyone you don’t like says anything good about him, he must be bad. And then, of course, anyone who worked for Beverly Hills must be a real yahoo.


Riiiiiiiiiight. Very sensible


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Makes you wonder what types of hiring criteria some employers in town are using. Hope everyone’s following discrimination in employment laws! ;-)


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poor folks, they just can’t get past, the past!!


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Strike four.


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Poor racket. Your desperation is showing


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there aint no 4 strikes in baseball. only 3. you people dont know sportes very wll.


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One problem, racket. You’re not behind the plate anymore.


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good one soph


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good one soph? brilliant…lol what would we do without input such as this?


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Why, thank you, Mr. Bunctious.


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lmao


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Mayor Irons had nothing to do with transferring the emails from personal to City accounts, That decision was made by the City Attorney in 2012,


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Interim city manager for 6 citiie!. Seems like a nice way to temporarily pad the retirement income over and over again.


According to the San Jose Merc this guy had a 2011 Pension of $139k/year. http://www.mercurynews.com/salaries/pensions


Double your money, double the fun. Not bad for a near octogenarian!


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Yes, some people just aren’t happy unless they’re working, and when they’re doing a great job, as this man seems to be, more power to them. Some people seem to forget that older people, with their extensive experience and strong work ethic, often do a much better job than younger folks.


I found this quote in a document regarding the hiring of Mr. Kreins to work as interim City Manager for Hollister: “We had three candidates, but this guy really stood out as exceptional for the interim job,” said Councilman Tony Bruscia.”I think he has a combination of tremendous experience, and he seems to have a great work ethic.”


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Only Government can “afford” to pay someone $140k/year for not working.


Whoops – maybe they can’t afford it: – from CalSTRS website: “The CalSTRS $70 billion projected funding shortfall can be managed but it will require timely action. The impact of two major financial downturns in less than 10 years resulted in significant losses to the fund that cannot be made up with investment returns alone.”


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Why would you imply that Mr. Kreins will not be doing any work? He seems to have excellent references.


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I was referring to government pensions not interim positions. People receiving pensions are no longer working. Yes they paid into the pension but it’s a pittance of what they receive.


Government promises to pay them for the rest of their lives, and their spouses lives – and when they run into $70 B shortfalls like CalSTRS, who gets left holding the bag – that’s right – the taxpayer.


Look up Ponzi scheme, most of these pensions and social security for that matter fit the definition perfectly – except the victim is the taxpayer.


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yeah!


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$13,000 is virtually EXACTLY THE SAME as Andrea Lueker’s salary!


Where’s the big savings Mayor Irons? All you did was waste half a million dollars for a non-local Beverly Hills crony that doesn’t know the first thing about Morro Bay. Way to go!


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Non-local? Not so. Please do some research.


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Does he have to be a lifeguard to know Morro Bay?


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Evidently some people think so.


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Will the “interim” city manager be afforded retirement benefits paid for by the taxpayers to supplement his earlier retirement packages?

$156,000.00 annually for a guy who is “RETIRED?”

The city has definitely misplaced it’s moral compass.


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What? You think that the man is “retired” because he does not work 100% of the time and because he has a pension? Looks to me like he is still working – a LOT.


Do you think that because he is at an age when most people are retired, and because he has a pension, he does not deserve the same rate of pay as a younger person? Are you saying you favor age discrimination in employment? Sure sounds like it.


Beyond that, it is the City’s job to find a very highly qualified interim manager who has an excellent reputation and background. They obviously found one, and a local at that.


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SLO has been fouled for the past 30 years with So Cal transplants, culminating in the selection of their ex-So-Cal City Manager.


Is Morro Bay any different?


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The guy lives in Nipomo. I believe that counts as local


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Pretty sure you were the one complaining that Andrea lived in Los Osos. Last time I checked thats closer than Nipomo?


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I don’t understand the “hired as the interim city manager” classification, why not just “hire”? Does this mean that the search for a permanent city manager is still afoot? The interim slot already pays more than the previous city manager made so does this mean that when/if a permanent city manager is selected the pay rate will be more?


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Interesting. SLO City Manager, Katy Lichtig, Jamie Irons’ wife’s boss came worked in Beverly Hills for many years. What a coincidence! And Beverly Hills is so much like Morro Bay. It sounds like a great fit. Morro Bay is being sold down the river, bit by bit, by a council with delusions of grandeur.

‘


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Yes, the fact that he and Monica Irons both worked in Beverly Hills probably IS a coincidence. Kreinsis a local and lives in Nipomo. He was their interim general manager and was interim city manager for Pismo Beach. He also was, evidently, the 2012-2013 SLO Grand Jury foreperson.


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Interim cronyism is the phrase of the day. Of course it’s a good fit, just ask any of Iron’s comrades.


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Welcome to Morro Bay! Home of the new and improved(?) “Good Ol’ Boy/Girl Network!


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