National City leaders unanimously appointed Scott Huth as their interim city manager Tuesday until the top istrative position is permanently filled.
His role became effective Wednesday. Huth, a California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) retiree, will be paid $130.88 an hour. As required by CalPERS, his pay was set at the same rate as the former city manager and he will not receive benefits or incentives. He is also limited to working 960 hours per fiscal year.
In 2023, the city hired Huth as interim deputy city manager due to personnel changes within the city manager’s office. He previously served as the city manager of Del Mar and as Coronado’s director of public services.
The appointment came after a heated and divided vote late last week by the City Council to oust Ben Martinez, following mounting complaints about low staff morale, poor fiscal management and overall instability at City Hall.
Via a 3-1 vote on Friday, the City Council agreed to “a mutual separation.” According to Martinez’s employment contract, he will receive “one lump sum” of six months’ pay and all accrued sick and vacation leave. Stephen Manganiello, the city’s director of engineering and public works, served as acting city manager until officials approved Huth.
Vice Mayor Marcus Bush voted in opposition and Councilmember Jose Rodriguez abstained from voting, but accused his colleagues during public comment of breaking away from a closed session motion they had made earlier last week and called the move to replace Martinez “impulsive” and at a time when the city is budgeting for a new fiscal year and confronting several lawsuits.
Tensions continued into Tuesday’s open session meeting to appoint Huth.
A group that has repeatedly accused Mayor Ron Morrison, his assistant, Josie Flores, and Martinez of wrongfully influencing a controversial development project that the Planning Commission rejected last year, raised those same concerns and said the interim city manager must oversee claims of fraud and abuse.
Rodriguez expressed continued disapproval of how his council colleagues handled the replacement of Martinez. He suggested officials begin a nationwide search for a replacement.
Councilmember Luz Molina said the decision to part ways with Martinez was necessary to restore stability at City Hall.
“Calling it impulsive is absurd. It ignores months of dysfunction,” she said. “At this point, action was overdue. Inaction wouldn’t have preserved any time of stability.”
Martinez said in a text message to The San Diego Union-Tribune on Saturday that he “thoroughly enjoyed” serving National City. He first ed the city in 1996, working for the now-dissolved Community Development Commission. He also worked as the manager of Neighborhood Services and the acting director of Community Development. In August 2023, following an unexpected turnover in the city manager’s position, the City Council appointed him interim city manager. By December of that year, he was hired for the role permanently.
“Now having been city manager, very unexpectedly, and during a difficult time for National City after the ing of former manager Armando Vergara, I hope I did some good to bring some additional progress to the organization,” he added.
