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Paso Robles city manager to get a $200,000 salary

November 18, 2015

PASO ROBLES BRICK SIGNThe Paso Robles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to hire Thomas Frutchey, 65, the current city manager of Pacific Grove in Monterey County. Frutchey will receive a base salary of $201,000. [Paso Robles Daily News]

Frutchey will replace City Manager Jim App, who is retiring at the end of the year.

App currently receives a base salary of $194,000. The salary range for the Paso Robles’ city manager position is $150,000 to $225,000.

Frutchey’s contract includes a $10,000 payment for moving expenses and a $175 monthly car allowance.

Thomas Frutchey

Thomas Frutchey

Frutchey has previously held city manager jobs in Oxnard, Campbell and Los Altos Hills. He has also worked as the vice president of the Center for Policy Studies in Camarillo, vice president of Underground Technology Inc. in Ventura and president of Borla Performance Industries in Oxnard.

The Paso Robles council selected Frutchey from a field of 48 applicants. Seven of the 48 were interviewed by panels consisting of council members, professionals, community members and Mayor Steve Martin. The council re-interviewed the top three candidates.

Frutchey is scheduled to begin work on Jan. 17.

App will retire on Dec. 30 after having spent 25 years as an employee of Paso Robles and 18 years as its city manager. App guided the city through a sex scandal that resulted in the ousting of police chief Lisa Solomon and led to calls for App’s firing.

App said Frutchey has the right mix of public and private sector experience that the city council was looking for. The main challenges Frutchey will face are the city’s slow recovery from the recession and potential groundwater litigation, App said.

Frutchey said App has set a really high standard and that he is eager to get to work.


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“You couldn’t be able to attract top candidates for the City/County Government jobs if they didn’t offer competitive pay”


That’s the BS line folks….but reality is that those in Power take care of those in power.


You…ha ha ha…just keep paying your taxes, sit down and shut up.


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Why do these people need this much money to do these jobs,plus the extra perks,a car allowance and a moving payment,with that kind of money I would think they could move themselves if they wanted a job.


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I almost fell out of my chair with the comment of App guiding through the sex scandal. How about covered up the sex scandal. The man is a P.O.S. and I am soooo happy to be rid of his sorry ass.


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$200,000 bucks a year? No wonder Tom has such a big smile on his face…If I were clairvoyant and could have predicted this new reality in our nation 30 years ago I would have hunted down a government job instead of starting my own business.


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Why should the city council care, it’s not their money and if the voters start too make an issue of it the council can start claiming they need to pay that much to get quality candidates, and if the money gets tight they can start threatening to cuts vital services if the tax paying residents don’t open up their wallets. Same old story….


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How is it possible that the city manager preforms $200,000.00 worth of service to the city? Heck most of those clowns aren’t worth minimum wage.


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I understand seeking out someone with experience, but this seems a bit like a golden parachute job. My guess is he doesn’t plan to spend more than 5 years on the job, if that based on current age. Are there no qualified individuals that would start at the lower end of that salary range and put in a solid decade plus growing into the job?


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Could not agree with more! From all information available (except from current CC, which is probably a little biased) Mr. Frutchey is not the city manager that Paso Robles

needs or deserves.


Very likely that he will be a ‘short-timer’ – less than 5 yrs.; but long enough to further boost his CALPERS retirement plan.


He just got a salary increase, plus other benefits, in June 2015 from Pacific Grove.

Of course he will get even more here -plus other benefits that will be worth additional thousands per year.


There is obviously a ‘good-ole’ boy network going on here – when this is the ‘best’ this city can get. How many times have you heard from our CC and mayor that Paso Robles is

the best city on the central coast – has so much to offer; yet can not get a fully-qualified

candidate in their mid40’s that could lead this city over the next 15-20 years; not 5 or less.


Maybe, just maybe, part of the reason for hiring Mr. Frutchey, is that the City Council really did not want another Jim App and instead chose someone that is basically sitting around boosting up his retirement package and will really have very, very little to say about what this city does or does not do over the next few years.


Time will tell.


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And don’t forget, thanks to a outrageous pension system that is billions in debt Jim App will continue to receive close to if not more than his current salary in a pension plus he will be allowed to earn more by double dipping without any reduction in his pension. So actually there will be two city manger salaries being paid, but only one actually has to go into the office.


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Oh, man- this raises more red flags than a May Day parade in the old Soviet Union. Anyone want to take any bets that this isn’t going to turn out well?


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Do tell, why do you feel this way?


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