The Las Vegas City Council today unexpectedly put City Manager Scott Adams on notice that it would terminate his contract in 90 days but would vote May 1 on a new contract, a move Adams interpreted as being fired after two years on the job.
The move to terminate the contract was led by Ward 6 Councilwoman Michele Fiore, who said she was opposed to automatically renewing Adams’ contract and wanted to give new council members an opportunity to weigh in on the next city manager.
Mayor Pro Tem Lois Tarkanian and councilmen Cedric Crear and Stavros Anthony joined Fiore in voting in favor of her motion. Councilman Bob Coffin voted against it, and Mayor Carolyn Goodman left before the vote due to a health obligation, said city spokesperson Jace Radke. Goodman announced in January that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but it was not immediately clear whether the health obligation was related to that illness.
Adams was promoted to city manager in 2017 with a starting salary of $245,000 and was under a two-year contract, which was set to automatically renew on April 6 unless the council stepped in. The contract is set to expire on July 2.
Fiore said she was not informed that his contract would automatically renew Saturday, and said her intention was to “redo the contract” with an added clause mandating a performance review prior to contract renewal.
Terminating and modifying Adams’ contract, Fiore said, would allow herself and Crear, who were elected after Adams was hired, and the soon-to-be elected council members in wards 1, 2 and 3 to be involved in the city manager hiring process.
“I’m just asking for fairness, and in fairness there’s going to be five council members (who) haven’t had the opportunity to work with this city manager,” Fiore said.
Before leaving the council chambers, Goodman expressed opposition to the motion, calling it “embarrassing” and questioning whether new council members would be able to make an informed decision about the position of city manager.
“In June, we will have three new council people. It doesn’t mean that they have any knowledge of government, that they have any knowledge in this city,” Goodman said prior to excusing herself from the room.
Coffin asked why concerns about Adams’ contract and performance were not raised sooner and in a private setting.
“You had two years to look at his contract. You suddenly decided that his contract does not suit you. You could’ve looked,” Coffin told Fiore.
Nonetheless, the motion to terminate Adams’ contract carried, but only after a measured but emotional defense from Adams.
“I think I have helped you as your new city manager in a very short period of time build a city, and that’s my skill set,” Adams said. “I’ve been doing it for 42 years now in cities all over America, and I want to continue to do it for you more.”
In supporting the motion, Crear said that while he did not want to dismiss Adams, a performance review should be conducted prior to renewing his contract.
“It seems like a (performance) review should go lock and step with any review of the contract,” he said.
Adams disputed the notion that he had not been evaluated, and said he had received a “fantastic review” in July and an accompanying bonus. He also pointed to a provision in his contract that he said allowed the council to remove him for “egregious” behavior at any time.
“You’ve never told me going into today that there’s been significant issues with my performance,” Adams said.
Tarkanian said she found it “sad” that council members’ concerns with the city manager had not been discussed before the public meeting, and questioned whether the vote should occur in Goodman’s absence. But she concluded that an evaluation and a discussion would be helpful prior to renewing Adams’ contract.
“I don’t want to vote for termination. I don’t want to put a CMO on thin ice. I do think we should have an evaluation,” Tarkanian said.
Coffin, meanwhile, accused Fiore of attempting to micromanage Adams and said he was concerned about straining the relationship between the manager and the council.
“It is impossible to calculate what we have done to damage this man’s employability, a 63-year-old man who is entitled to a fair hearing with warning,” Coffin added.
Although council members voted to have the city attorney write a new contract for Adams, which will be presented at the May 1 council meeting, Adams was clear about his interpretation of the decision that was made.
“I don’t care what you added to the end of it,” Adams said. “You can offer me a subsequent contract that isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on and that I’ll never sign. If you approve this, I want it to be very clear that you’ve terminated me. That’s how I’m taking it and that’s how I’ll act accordingly subsequently to your actions.”
But after the meeting, Tarkanian insisted that Adams would not be let go, noting that the majority of the councilors said they appreciated his work so far as city manager.
“I don’t think we’re through with this, but it’s not a termination,” she said.
Goodman could not immediately be reached for comment.