Adelanto's top finance official resigns
Thornton promoted to city manager on six-month deal
Posted May. 14, 2015 at 8:29 PM
Updated May 14, 2015 at 8:33 PM
ADELANTO — Assistant Finance Director Vanessa Martinez has resigned, it was announced late Tuesday, leaving the cash-strapped city without a leader in its finance department following the resignation earlier this year of Finance Director Onyx Jones.
A reason was not provided for Martinez's decision to leave.
Martinez had been spearheading efforts to construct Adelanto's fiscal year 2015-16 spending plan. She was "kind of running with the ball that Onyx had," City Manager Thomas Thornton said Tuesday.
Thornton also was involved in a personnel change Tuesday. He had been serving as interim city manager, but signed a six-month contract Tuesday to become Adelanto's city manager in a move that stabilizes a position technically vacant since the resignation of City Manager Jim Hart in February.
Martinez's resignation, meanwhile, comes as the budget is expected to be presented to the City Council next month for a study session.
Asked if Martinez's departure was cause for concern, Thornton said much of the grunt work had already been completed and that he and three staff members in the finance department also had been engaged in putting together the spending plan.
"Vanessa, before she left, met with every department head about what she saw as realistic for the budget," Thornton said.
He said it was too early to tell how much spending and revenue the budget calls for.
Jones' resignation was announced in early February, and Mayor Rich Kerr said at the time that she was leaving for "personal reasons."
The city had been facing a $2.6 million deficit brought on by low property and sales tax revenues — a hole that has since shrunk to $1.7 million and is likely to shrink more. Jones' departure also came months after the election of a three-fifths new look Council and as pressure grew on Hart to resign.
Hart had been criticized by Council members for not doing enough to embrace the city's fiscal crisis and for earning an annual base salary of $216,300, which jumped to $330,000 with benefits included, according to the state Controller. He was the highest-paid city manager by total wages in the High Desert.
Thornton will be paid an annual base salary of $156,000, the city said. He also will continue his roles as city engineer, director of Adelanto's public works and director of Adelanto's public utilities.
While his contract states that his benefits will be paid as if all roles are one position, Thornton acknowledged that wearing multiple hats has affected productivity.
"Am I accomplishing everything I want to?" he said. "No."
The deal also gives the city the ability to terminate Thornton with or without cause, and negotiate either with Thornton or another candidate at the conclusion of the contract.
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