Robert Samario is out as finance director for the city of Santa Barbara.
In the aftermath of Noozhawk reports that Samario was placed on leave in early November, the city administrator’s office issued a statement Wednesday afternoon titled “City Finance Director Announces Retirement.”
Samario’s sudden and abrupt departure was brokered between him and top city officials, who have offered no public details as rumors have swirled around City Hall.
The City Council was never consulted on the circumstances surrounding his departure, and the council took no action to approve his retirement.
The city’s statement said a recruitment process will be underway to fill the executive position. Finance and Treasury Manager Jennifer Tomaszewski will serve as interim finance director during the interim.
“I am happy that Mr. Samario is able to retire from the city, and I have every confidence Jennifer Tomaszewski will do a terrific job at the helm in the interim,” Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon told Noozhawk.
Multiple City Hall sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Noozhawk earlier this week that Samario had been placed on leave, and that an investigation, and possibly settlement talks conducted by an outside firm, were near.
Eric Friedman, chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee, said earlier this week that the Samario matter is “a personnel issue, and the Human Resources Department is handling (it).”
Councilwoman Meagan Harmon told Noozhawk, “I am very happy Jennifer Tomaszewski is serving as interim during the new director recruitment process.”
“She is a knowledgeable, steady hand to lead the team during this period,” Harmon said. “She knows her stuff when it comes to our budget processes. We’re lucky to have her.”
Samario, 59, as a non-safety employee, was eligible to retire at age 50. However, the longer an employee works in that scenario, the larger the CalPERS retirement benefit is.
The city held its first budget talks of the year on Tuesday, and next week plans a budget workshop before the start of the official budget discussions for the 2021 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
“I just want the residents of Santa Barbara to know that our financial department is in good hands,” Mayor Cathy Murillo said. “We have budget specialists that will care of the budget document and the budget process. I have a lot of faith in Ms. Tomaszewski. We’re worried about the shortfall, and we will be working through that with the help of all the good people who take care of the city treasury.”
City Administrator Paul Casey would not say what circumstances led up to Samario’s retirement.
Samario, who worked for the city for 24 years, and made $202,000 annually, did not respond to multiple attempts by Noozhawk to contact him regarding his leave.
However, in the city’s press release, he said, “I am looking forward to the next chapter working in the private sector providing services to local governments, which is where my career started.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
