Hayward weathering administrative shakeup amid budget shortfall

HAYWARD While facing a million budget deficit Hayward is undergoing a major shakeup in leadership with one official on leave and another headed for the door Last week the City Council placed City Manager Ana Alvarez on paid administrative leave without any community explanation Now Assistant City Manager Dustin Claussen is leaving for another executive position at the city of San Leandro The city is also missing a permanent human materials director and director of finance Claussen who became assistant city manager in after working in the finance department will work his last day in Hayward on Friday after years It has been an amazing ride and certainly shaped my life Claussen stated during Tuesday s meeting So I m very grateful for the opportunity that you all gave me and to serve along such great folks on the executive association and colleagues around the city Thank you very much Claussen is paid in total compensation with an annual salary of according to a city spokesman Mayor Mark Salinas thanked Claussen for his organization and reported Claussen has been at the helm at certain of the preponderance biggest successes that this city has seen This includes Claussen s work in economic expansion to constituents works Salinas declared Claussen also stepped up for a time last year as interim city manager before Alvarez was hired For now City Attorney Michael Lawson is serving as interim city manager The executive unit members and I are rolling up our sleeves We re looking everywhere for additional savings and we ll be working on that when we present the next budget proposal June th Lawson noted during Tuesday s council meeting The work before us is a balancing act City spokesman Chuck Finnie narrated this news organization Thursday that he could not comment on Alvarez s status adding that her performance evaluation which has been the subject of council closed session discussions is still unresolved He added that the city has not yet initiated a search for a new city manager nor have authorities begun to search for new human guidance or finance directors Alvarez assumed her role on Jan replacing former city manager Kelly McAdoo who left in May after years with Hayward to work for the city of Santa Barbara According to her two-year contract Alvarez gets a year in base pay plus benefits If terminated she is entitled to a minimum severance of days of salary and benefits paid in a lump sum according to the contract Finnie advised this news organization her total compensation amounts to Sharif Etman who stepped into office at the end of April is in the present serving as both the interim HR and finance director according to the city s website On May Etman made a presentation to the council detailing the city s budget forecast showing a projected general fund budget of million and million in expenses or a roughly million budget deficit Etman mentioned The city is expected to receive another budget update on June th