Unexpected Resignation: Rockville City Manager Rob DiSpirito Departs Post
Rockville City Manager Rob DiSpirito resigned yesterday on Thursday, August 17, effective at 5:00 pm. The Mayor and Council accepted his resignation and appointed Deputy City Manager Barack Matite as acting city manager, effective immediately. DiSpirito had served as Rockville’s city manager since January 2017. DiSpirito was interim senior manager of the Sarasota County (Florida) Planning and Development Department when appointed in December 2016 and previously served as the city manager of Dunedin, Florida for nine years and city manager of Oberlin, Ohio for 11 years. Barack Matite was previously City Manager of Eudora, Kansas (population 6,449) and holds a master’s in public administration from the University of Kansas.
It’s unclear what prompted the resignation, but we can assume it’s related to the Mayor and Council Closed Session meeting yesterday, which was to conclude the Performance Improvement Plan that the Mayor and Council instituted 90 days ago. Unfortunately, once again the Mayor and Council is unable to follow Maryland Open Meetings Act and failed to post the adjournment of the meeting, which was held exclusively on WebEx. In Maryland, “After a public body has met in a session closed under § 3-305, it must include a summary of the session in the minutes of its next public meeting. Public bodies may instead include the summary in the minutes of the public meeting held that day—that way, the public will see the summary sooner—but should follow a consistent practice or include a cross-reference in the later set of minutes so that the public knows where to look” (Chapter 6, OMA). I strongly recommend the latter approach to provide greater transparency to government, but so far, the Mayor and Council has been reluctant to go down this path. What are they trying to hide? Perhaps this an issue for the upcoming election.
The City Manager is the “executive officer and head of the administrative branch of the City” and one of three employees that report directly to the Mayor and Council (Chapter 2, Rockville City Code). City Manager Rob DiSpirito served six years. The previous City Manager, Barbara B. Matthews, served almost four years, when she was fired by the Mayor and Council in a contentious 3-2 vote (Mayor Bridget Newton and Councilmembers Beryl Feinberg and Virginia Onley voted to terminate her employment; Councilmembers Mark Pierzchala and Julie Palakovich Carr voted against). City Manager Scott Ullery retired in December 2011 after seven years following conflicts with Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio over the management of the City. Notice a pattern? Ironically, most of the current city council members have NO experience supervising employees at a management or executive level, yet make crucial decisions about hiring, supervising, and terminating these types of employees. Are management skills an increasingly important qualification for Mayor and Council?
Follow-up: On August 19, 2023, Barry Jackson, candidate for Rockville City Council, insisted that current Mayor and Council should not begin the search for the new City Manager but instead that the “newly elected Mayor and City Council hire a City Manager through a transparent and thorough process.”
Temperature of Rockville Council Election Just Went Up
With Scott Ullery’s recent announcement that he’ll retire as City Manager in December, the temperature of the upcoming City Council elections just went up several degrees. Hiring a City Manager is one of the most important decisions they can make and has both long-term and short-term implications. We’ve been fortunate to have such a skilled administrator as Scott Ullery, who has been a calm and consistent force at the City despite the continual challenges that come into his office from all corners. I’ve always found him to be ethical and fair, and while I know some people sought his removal, it’s usually because they’re trying to do something that doesn’t align with our city’s strategic plan, violates city codes, or requires Council approval. It’s a thankless job because you are always subject to public criticism and you get a new set of bosses every two years (and the best city managers, like the best editors, are often invisible and let others get the credit).
Selecting the next City Manager will be a crucial responsibility for the next Council–and it’s not an easy job. In my former hometown of Upland, California, we had a terrible series Continue reading →
Historic Designation Process Confounds Council Once Again
The City of Rockville’s process for designating historic landmarks has confused the city leaders and staff once again. For many years, the process has vexed property owners, preservationists, neighbors, staff, and city officials, despite continual calls for reform from the Historic District Commission. It’s frustrating and costs time and money, and yet, here was another discussion about it at the March 14, 2011 meeting. It borders on the surreal, so I’m providing a transcript so you can see it for yourself:
Councilmember Pierzchala: On next week’s tentative agenda, Item Number 11…this is Glenview Mansion, it’s listed as 45 minutes and I’m not sure why. I am planning to vote to Authorize to File and get a Public Hearing going, and I’d rather have staff presentations and whoever is for, whoever is against, all at one point, and where we can ask questions, and so I’m just wondering why we need 45 minutes for next week.
City Manager Ullery: I would agree with you. I don’t think that item requires 45 minutes.
Mayor Marcuccio: Well, is there someone who requested 45 minutes?
City Manager Ullery: It probably came in through the agenda from Rec and Parks department. I think we can probably do it in 20 minutes. Continue reading →
Max for Rockville 