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With less than a month to go until City Manager David Mirrione steps down and returns to Merced County, the Hollister City Council on Aug. 26 created an ad hoc committee to begin the search for the city’s next top administrator.
Mayor Roxanne Stephens and Councilmember Rolan Resendiz will head up the committee, which was announced following a closed-session discussion during an Aug. 26 special meeting.
Stephens said the role of the committee is to ensure the search process moves forward including by working with a recruiter to review applications and narrow down candidates before presenting them to the city council.
“The ad hoc does not make any selections,” she said. “It just simply moves the recruitment process forward.”
She said it’s “crucial to have that position filled,” but that the timeline of doing so depends on the quality of applicants.
Stephens said Mirrione notified the city last week that he was stepping down, meeting the required 30-day notice. She added he is taking a position in Merced County but could not provide additional information, including why he decided to step down, because “it’s up to him to reveal [why].”
Mirrione has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
As for his tenure, Stephens said it was typical in the industry for executives to last between three and eight years in their positions, adding that Mirrione’s departure does not have anything to do with the city being able to retain employees.
“They are ambitious, have career plans,” she said of public executives. “They take steps toward their ultimate career goal. It’s not that you can’t retain them and it’s not an issue with the city.”
Councilmember Dolores Morales, like Stephens and Councilmember Rudy Picha, spoke highly of Mirrione.
“He has been instrumental in strengthening the infrastructure and culture in the city,” Morales said.
In regard to the traits Morales said she is looking for in the next city administrator, she said it has to be someone who leads with compassion and empathy, and understands the city’s infrastructure needs. She said the person also needs to understand governance with few resources.
Stephens said she is looking for a strong leader who is knowledgeable about city government and the challenges the city faces, and understands business and economic development.
According to the Aug. 25 announcement, Mirrione is stepping down as the city’s top administrator on Sept. 21, and said he had accepted a position with another public agency.
Before Mirrione took over the city manager position, he served as Hollister’s assistant city manager starting in August 2022. He was appointed interim city manager in March 2023 after the city fired Brett Miller, who had served in the role since September 2020.
Mirrione previously served as an assistant county executive officer for Merced.
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