Ben Martinez has stepped down as city manager of National City, less than two years into the role and after a week of heated disputes among officials and the public.
In a 3-1 vote Friday, the City Council and Ben Martinez agreed to “a mutual separation,” City Attorney Barry Schultz announced after a three-hour closed session.
Vice Mayor Marcus Bush voted in opposition. Councilmember Jose Rodriguez abstained from voting, but participated during public comment, saying he would “not participate in this charade.” Rodriguez accused his colleagues of breaking away from a closed session motion they made Tuesday and “silencing the public input and discussion to a very important matter.”
The four voting officials appointed Stephen Manganiello as acting city manager until they select an interim city manager, Schultz said. Manganiello was serving as the city’s director of engineering and public works.
The specific reasons for replacing Martinez were not disclosed, as performance evaluations occurred during multiple closed session meetings.
Some officials have limited themselves to publicly stating that several issues, including disorderly conduct at City Hall, have occurred under Martinez’s watch.
That has left some critics to speculate whether Martinez was replaced for attempting to investigate Mayor Ron Morrison’s executive assistant, Josie Flores, over allegations of wrongdoing she has repeatedly denied.
Martinez did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
In a statement after the meeting, the city said that the elected officials’ decision “reflects the City’s need to move in a new direction aligned with its long-term priorities.”
The personnel change comes as the City Council confronts a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, multiple lawsuits and major negotiations with the Port of San Diego over public safety services the municipality provides at Port facilities. In recent months, the City Council has faced a series of political and legal disputes, some of which have worsened under Martinez’s leadership, many argue.
There has been unexpected turnover in the city manager’s position for the last several years.
National City had Leslie Deese as its last, long-term city manager. She served for 33 years before retiring. Manganiello was appointed as acting city manager until the city hired Brad Raulston in 2019.
But in early 2023, the city similarly announced that it had agreed to part ways with Raulston. Raulston had taken a leave of absence to care for his mother, he said at the time, but his performance had also been under scrutiny.
Officials then selected Armando Vergara to replace Raulston, but Vergara died of natural causes in late June 2023. Deputy City Manager Scott Huth stepped in as acting city manager. In August 2023, Martinez was appointed as the interim city manager and then hired permanently in December of that year.
Martinez, a Bonita native, first ed the city in 1996, working for the now-dissolved Community Development Commission, which was a redevelopment, housing authority and economic development agency. The city re-hired him as manager of Neighborhood Services. He then stepped in as acting director of Community Development, where he oversaw the Building, Planning and Neighborhood Services divisions.
