The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Riverside City Council Wards 2, 4, and 6, bringing together candidates and community members for an open exchange ahead of the election. (Bob Sirotnik/Raincross Gazette)
The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates questions about leadership and Riverside's city manager.
Note: Ward 2's forum happened on April 23 — before city manager Mike Futrell announced on April 25 that he reversed his decision to take the city manager role in Pasadena — and the question asked, along with candidate answers, reflected that.
The question Bernstein initially asked Ward 2 candidates:
Riverside has had five permanent city managers since 2005, with an average tenure of four years, or roughly half the national average and slightly less than the state average… Does Riverside have trouble keeping city managers? If so, why? Or does Riverside provide such great opportunities for its city managers to produce and get things done that other cities want to snap them up? What are you looking for in the next city manager and how important is it that he or she sticks around for more than four years?
Following Futrell's April 25 announcement, an updated version of the question was asked at the subsequent Ward 4 forum on April 29 and Ward 6 forum on April 30:
Until last weekend, Mr. Futrell would have been the third consecutive Riverside city manager to leave for the same position in another city. So where does this lead Riverside? First of all, do you believe that you support Mr. Futrell's decision to [maintain] his job here? And second, what do you look for as a city manager?
Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner Aram Ayra, entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner Christen Montero, Western Municipal Water District Director Gracie Torres and financial and IT consultant Mike Vahl are running for the Ward 2 seat soon to be vacated by Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for state Assembly.
Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District.
Vahl: "This is the city manager culture today. You look around in the different newspapers – every city is hiring a guy that three years ago was at this city, and now their guy has been there for three or four years and he's at this city – and they just hop. Other guy's been there for three or four years, and he's in this city, and they just hop because they're going to get a 20% pay bump every three years. And that's, that's the culture of the city manager gig these days, which I [oughta] got into about 20 years ago."
Torres: "What I can say is that Western's general manager has been there for nine years, and not jumping to another place – and I'm not sure if necessarily that is the case that we get rid of them too quick, or we scare them off too quickly. But what I do know is that they need to feel supported, right? They need to look down the dais and see a city council that's working together rather than playing referee, right? I think that will make it easier to recruit a city council – plus them, knowing that they have a sound budget. And so it will be incumbent upon the new council members after June that when they're looking at recruiting and they're head hunting, it would be my desire that they do so locally first, so that we have a Riversider leading at the helm. But if that's not the case, they are able to incentivize people to come because they've taken care of our budget, they've taken care of basic city services, so that they don't feel like they're coming here and having to fix everything for the city. And so again, we've been able to retain a general manager, and it's because we've been able to work together to and work with staff that they do such they work so hard that when they're [feeling] underappreciated…what is the saying – people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers, right? And so we will be their managers, so hopefully we have a councilmember that works together that they feel like, hey, they see the vision, they trust me, and I can do my job as a city manager."
Vahl: "You have to remember there's a lot more cities than water districts in Southern California…not as many opportunities."
Ayra: "Gracie touched upon a good point, which is, [people] don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers. If we've had five city managers since 2005, I don't think it's the job. I think it's the leadership that we have on the city council. And in many cases, the Council is looking for a yes person. Council is looking for someone that will approve and not get in the way of their decision-making. That's not what I would be looking for in our next city manager. I would be looking for someone who would be willing to tell me no if it didn't make sense for the city, who would be willing to call out and hold the line if we're spending money unaccountably, or if we're making decisions that hurt the future of the city, if we're prioritizing short-term profit over long term sustainability for our community. That's what I would look for in the next city manager. And definitely most importantly, someone that would be accountable to our budget regardless if it pissed council members off or not. Because at the end of the day, the fiscal responsibility is one of the most important jobs for city managers because when we talk about cuts, we talk about services, if your budget's not there, those things have to happen, unfortunately – so that's what I would be looking for in the next city manager."
Montero: "Yes, and I couldn't agree more, Aram. We need a city manager that's willing to say no, not someone who's afraid to lose their job because they won't say yes to all of city council. I think we also need to look at our charter, which gives the power to city council that's also going to be going up in our ballots in 2028 and that charter committee is being formed this summer. Something to be mindful of is that infrastructure and that hierarchy, it just has to change. And with our city manager, they also need to be data-driven, looking at the impact, really holding accountable to the projects that we're putting our money to. That way they can say, hey, you know, we gave you this last five years, but with the results not really impacting, we're no longer going to give it to you versus continuing to fund and fund, because people are used to being funded."
Ayra: "I would jump in, too, and I'm so glad Christen brought up the city charter. One of the things right now we have a very unique opportunity is that we're bringing on an Inspector General for the city of Riverside. This is a position that currently is appointed. I would have preferred that I would have been elected, because the role of that job is specifically to look out for fraud, waste, abuse, corruption – and that's not to say that it's rampant in the city of Riverside. That's not what I'm insinuating. But every good government has checks and balances, and Riverside is no different. Should be no different. So one of the things I would be advocating for very strongly, is for an elected inspector general, if we can get on the 2028 ballot, fantastic. If not, that would be a major priority for me, because I think that humans are susceptible to making mistakes. Sometimes humans will take advantage of a system. That's not something I would want. I would want them to work in tandem and in hand in hand with the city manager, rather than be seen as an oppositional force to the city."
Montero: "Right, the city manager is here to work for us, the residents, not City Council. And city council serves us in many different ways, and also is there to listen to us at times, right? And I couldn't agree more than inspector general, if this is someone who's to look at from a third party objective, if they're afraid of losing their job because they're not saying the right answer for the right project and improving certain things, how can we actually make sure that we're really looked after? If these two positions are reporting to others in a hierarchy that makes it highly influential and [lacks] third party observation."
Vahl: "So you're correct that if the city inspector works with the council, he's going to be pretty laid back on reporting if the council's doing anything, because then he will be fired. It's just the same thing with the city manager. So you've got to get the independence in there so that they can call these guys out and call them out on the dais. On community involvement, this council is probably the worst I've ever seen. They've cut you down. They put 25 or 30 things on the consent calendar so if you want to speak on any of them, everybody speaks at the front on 20 different topics, and it's a jumble of junk. They cut out, you know, they try to get you to speak as little as possible, because they want to just stay up there and say, ]we know what's best.' And they need to put all that stuff out there, let people talk. And if it goes to one in the morning and the people want to stay and talk about an issue that they feel strongly about, they should let them. We had the community involvement engagement stuff a couple of years ago, and I haven't seen any of it being followed. It was great for a few months but kind of looks like, no way."
Incumbent Chuck Conder, local business owner Jessica Qattawi and local business owner Rich Vandenberg are vying for the Ward 4 council seat.
Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023 – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year.
Qattawi: "So Mike Futrell and his wife, Susan came to our Neighbors Better Together meeting this past Sunday, and he spoke about what happened. And it seems that Pasadena got word of his wife. So really, at the end of the day, this is his wife. She is so involved within the city. I don't know about you guys, but are you allowed to bring your significant other to your job? Because in my business, I wouldn't let my employees bring them. But she's intertwining herself with all the staff, and she's asking them for donations. She's doing inappropriate things…with the city staff, and I think that us as a community, we should make sure that we stand up and we say something about this, because she is affecting how our city is working, because she wants to be there and involved. That's not her job. Her husband has a responsibility to take care of our city, and we need to make sure that he is clear and able to do so. But I believe that, since he already said he was going to leave, he was already out the door. I don't feel that he's going to give us 100% at this point. Once you step out of something…he was ready to go somewhere else. So he's ready to leave Riverside. I think it would be best if he were to find another opportunity. Let's bring somebody in that is possibly a resident or somebody that actually has a connection with our community that is going to stay long term and make decisions…These decisions that he's making are going to affect us 10, 20 and 50 years [from now], but does he even plan to stay three years?"
Vandenberg: "I'll jump in on this. I am a fan of Mike Futrell. I'm happy he's staying. It's unfortunate the circumstances that led to him leaving and coming back. Whether that means he'll remain loyal or not, that's not for me to say, I don't know what the man's thinking. The accusations against his wife – there was a letter written on behalf of Mr. Conder, and I believe she asked for a statement of facts, proof that any of these things happened, and that was not generated. So I'm not defending her, I don't know what happened – but I just do want to make it clear that she asked for those to be proven, and they weren't proven. So at this point, it's all rumors, as far as her involvement in the city. If Mike Futrell leaves – and I hope he doesn't – I support the man, I think he's got a great outlook for Riverside. He's an economic development-minded manager, and I like that. If he does leave, the question was, how do you retain the next one? How do you get someone to stay? For me, that's hiring local talent. You want someone who loves Riverside? Get someone who grew up in Riverside, someone who chose here before they got hired for that job. We keep hiring from other states, and what's going to happen the next good job that comes around, they're going to leave. That's what we see. It's hard to blame anybody for doing that. They're moving up, they're making more money, they're taking bigger roles. I don't blame anybody. You want to keep somebody, hire local talent."
Conder: "So again, clueless. I signed the letter written by the city council as the active then-Mayor Pro Tem. That was my duty, my responsibility. They're not going to like the rest of this. I cannot talk about the Futrell issue. Personnel issues are guarded by state law, and I cannot talk about it. But what I'm looking for in a city manager, I've only been involved in the hiring of one… When you work with the headhunter groups, they'll tell you flat out – the average life for a city manager is three years. We've actually been right on the cusp…It is the average… What I look for is a person that has stability, a person that has understanding of financing – because Mike Futrell – we work great with him about getting a balanced budget – a man that has a background of development. And for those of you who don't know, Mr. Futrell has worked at the city, the state, the federal levels around his career. He is the real deal. I love Mike, Mike's a Navy man and I'm an Air Force man. He's the squid, I'm the armchair. We love each other. I think Mike does great job but as far as what's going on with him…I'm [prohibited] by law to speak on it."
Qattawi: "And you know what? Mike is a very nice guy. And I want to clarify something – that I would never say anything unless I see proof with my own eyes. And I want to say that I did see with my own eyes the inappropriate behaviors of his wife with city employees. So I saw it with my own eyes. That's the only reason why I would say anything about it. If he's going to stay, he needs to make sure that his wife gets out of the picture and lets him do his job."
Bernstein asked Conder a follow-up question at the Ward 4 forum:
Though you say it's a personnel matter, it sounds like you do support his decision to remain city manager. Can you say that much?
Conder: "I cannot say either way, I cannot confirm or deny. Council will talk about this Tuesday, May 5, I cannot talk about it now."
Bernstein asked Conder another follow-up question:
Does the council have to make a decision about this or is the rescission of his resignation enough to ensure he still has a job?
Conder: "That is in the hands of the lawyers. Mr. Futrell did not sign a letter of resignation. That is a fact. Anything else beyond that, things that I can't talk about, will be determined possibly by the lawyers. I'm not saying 'yes he should go,' I'm not saying, 'yes he should stay.' This is something that council will have to talk out. We are working with our own legal department, and we're working with HR. This is an unprecedented realm, this has never happened to us before. We are scrambling [like] a bunch of ducks, trying to keep on top of the water. We're figuring it out. It will be figured out, whatever is best for the city of Riverside, and that's the damn answer. What's best for this city is what we will do. If he stays and it's the right thing, he'll stay. If he must go, and it's the right thing for Riverside, he'll go. We will determine that in council, we will make some type of decision on May 5."
Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, Luis Hernandez, vice chair of the Board of Ethics, and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Norma Berrellez are vying for the seat vacated by Councilmember Jim Perry, who announced last year that he is not running for reelection.
Berrellez, however, was not in attendance at the April 30 Ward 6 forum.
Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South and portions of Arlington.
Puerta: "So as far as whether Pasadena chose not to pursue it or if Futrell chose it, I don't know. I'm not going to assume that. I'm sure that if I do get elected, it's a position that's going to have more conversations to be had about what those background details were. But I'll tell you what I do know. I work for the business district, which means I have monthly meetings with city council, mayor's office, city manager's office, and I've seen Futrell up close in person and what he does. He does good work. We have good momentum right now. I want to focus on maintaining that momentum, making sure that we give smart projects and new businesses every reason to come to the city. I want to look for a city manager that has a strong financial background. A city manager that has a strong background and experience in development, and I want to make sure that they have the ability to make a deal and make things happen. I'm all about being hands-on and I think that Futrell's doing a great job at that. If there are circumstances that might change that opinion, I don't know yet. I won't know unless I get that seat."
Hernandez: "I know everybody loves chisme, but we should always wait to hold our judgment until we find out what really happened, right? Me personally, I like Mike. I think he does a great job. I've heard him talk about how important it is for us to bring in more affordable housing and that we're not going to arrest our way out of this homelessness issue. So, I really like a lot of the work that he's done. I think that as a candidate, as a councilmember, like any other job, it's important to find out why that position is a revolving door and address that. What is causing us to have city managers in a pattern to leave after so many years? What's going on? Why are they leaving? And how can we address that to keep a city manager like Mike? It's so important that we do a deep dive and look into the cause – not just why they're leaving on the surface level, but what's going on? Have the conversations you would with any individual at any level of employment if they were important to you — figure out why are you leaving. Let's talk about it. Let's figure it out. What's the cause? And even if it's not Mike and it's another person, what was the cause so that we don't have that happen in the future?"
Civic Engagement Reporter who calls the Inland Empire home. Five years covering SoCal. APU journalism grad. Good conversations over coffee and stories that matter.
At forums hosted by the Raincross Gazette, candidates for Wards 2, 4 and 6 found common ground on warehousing — and sharp disagreements on what comes next.
With Riverside far behind on state housing targets, candidates in three ward races outlined their approaches to growth, density and neighborhood character.
