San Gabriel : Consulting Firm Hired

The City Council has voted to hire a consulting firm to recruit candidates to replace City Administrator Robert Clute, whose contract expires in May.

The firm, Ralph Andersen & Associates of Newport Beach, will advertise the position, screen candidates and forward a list of three to five finalists to the council for interviews, said council member Dominic Polimeni, who pushed for use of an executive recruiting firm.

The move was opposed by Mayor Sabino M. Cici, who argued that the matter had not been placed on the agenda before Tuesday’s meeting. Council member James Castaneda also voted no, saying the council had not come up with a way to pay the bill. Polimeni said the cost will be a $12,500 fee, plus other expenses.

Clute, 65, took the job in 1974. He survived a bid to remove him two years ago, when the council recruited candidates but then decided not to replace him. Since then, Clute has worked under two one-year contracts for the $90,000-a-year job.