Council will consider future of city manager

Dan Kulin

Tuesday, July 15, 2003 | 8:53 a.m.

Two days before the North Las Vegas City Council will discuss whether to keep or fire City Manager Kurt Fritsch, Mayor Michael Montandon said Monday he was aware "issues were out there" but was a little surprised those issues arose so quickly and how serious they were.

Montandon was not more specific about exactly who had problems with Fritsch or what those problems were.

"The issues came up more quickly than I thought they would. I knew the issues were out there ... I didn't know how serious they were," Montandon said.

Almost three weeks ago Fritsch confirmed reports that he had told his top staff some council members were planning to try to fire him.

Fritsch declined to comment on the matter Monday. But on June 25 Fritsch said Councilwoman Shari Buck told him she would try to oust him because she wanted a change and more power.

Buck refused to comment on Fritsch's remarks then and did not return telephone messages seeking comment on Monday.

Councilman William Robinson, who along with Buck was re-elected in April, said he hasn't heard of any council members having a problem with Fritsch.

"That's just his insecurities," Robinson said.

Robinson said he would wait to hear from his colleagues during the Wednesday closed-door meeting before deciding whether he will support Fritsch. But in general, Robinson said, he thinks Fritsch has "done OK so far."

"I've gone through four city managers since I've been on the City Council, and I'm sick of new city managers," said Robinson, who has been on the council since 1983.

The council is scheduled to have a closed-door meeting on Wednesday to discuss Fritsch's job performance. Afterward the council is scheduled to announce publicly whatever it decides.

After Fritsch's evaluation last July, the same group of council members voted 4-1 to give Fritsch a $10,000-a-year pay raise and a three-year contract extension. Fritsch is paid $150,000 a year and receives a $300 a month car allowance.

Councilwoman Stephanie Smith said she voted against the raise and contract last year because of the size of the salary and some of the terms in the contract. Smith refused to say Monday whether she had any problems with Fritsch's management of the city.

In North Las Vegas the city manager runs the day-to-day operations of the city government.

If Fritsch is forced out, he would be the second city manager to meet that fate in North Las Vegas in the past five years. Linda Hinson resigned in 1998 after the council voted 4-1 not to renew her contract.

Her successor, Pat Importuna, left the job in 2000 less than two years into a six-year contract. He took a similar job in California.

Fritsch was promoted from assistant city manager to city manager in July 2000. His contract expires in July 2005.

If the council votes to fire Fritsch, he would be owed half of one year's salary plus pay for any accrued vacation days and half of his unused sick days, unless he is fired with cause, according to his contract.

Cause is defined as conviction of a felony or the unlawful participation in a decision in which he had a conflict of interest.