Acting City Manager Hernandez Pulls Out of Race for Top Post

OXNARD —  With the deadline to apply for Oxnard’s vacant city manager post nearing, interim City Manager Prisilla Hernandez has pulled out of the race, a move that apparently leaves Police Chief Harold Hurtt as the only remaining in-house candidate.

Hernandez told Mayor Manuel Lopez on Monday night that she will not apply for the city manager post but instead will return to her position as assistant city manager once a replacement for ousted top administrator Tom Frutchey is selected.

Hernandez, Oxnard’s first Latina city manager, has held the post on a temporary basis since Frutchey was fired in February. She met earlier this year with City Council members to discuss her interest in becoming city manager, as did Hurtt and Community Services Director Matt Winegar.

The 47-year-old Hernandez had been considered a strong contender for the position, even though three of the five City Council members have said they first wanted to interview applicants from outside Oxnard.

But Hernandez said that six months of working 70 hours a week convinced her that she needs to spend more time with her three children, ages 14, 12 and 10.

“You say, ‘I can balance it, I can do it, I can juggle these things,’ ” Hernandez said. “But I’m being honest with myself. It’s not the right time.”

Lopez said he was surprised by Hernandez’s decision.

“I would have looked at her very seriously,” Lopez said. He credited Hernandez with helping city employees get through a contentious period after Frutchey’s dismissal.

Winegar, the father of two young daughters, cited similar reasons Tuesday in his decision not to apply for city manager.

But Hurtt, who has aggressively pitched his qualifications to City Council members, apparently remains interested. Hurtt, who was on vacation Tuesday and unavailable for comment, previously has listed his close ties with civic groups, success with community policing and administrative experience as qualifications for the job.

He has until Sept. 11 to apply with the executive search firm of Hughes, Perry & Associates, based in Sea Ranch.

Hughes, Perry did not return phone calls Tuesday. The firm, hired by the city in June for $15,500, is recruiting candidates from across the nation. It will begin sifting through resumes next month, and council members are expected to interview finalists in October.

Hernandez said she first approached the interim city manager job as “a peacemaker,” trying to win the respect of council members and employees in the wake of Frutchey’s departure. The former city manager had been accused of damaging morale with a tyrannical management style.

But Hernandez soon found herself busy with day-to-day demands, shepherding a $62-million budget through the City Council, working with city leaders to launch anti-gang programs and running to ground-breaking ceremonies as a city representative.

“I came here as an assistant city manager and never expected to be acting as city manager,” Hernandez said. “If my kids were a little older, I’d be interested. . . . Just not right now.”