As Milpitas voters choose from a crowded field of mayoral and city council candidates in November, the question of whether the city can stabilize its administrative staff after years of turnover looms large.
Six different people have led the city staff since 2019, when City Manager Julie Edmonds-Mares resigned with little explanation after less than two years in the position. Her successor Steve McHarris left in 2023, and later accused city leadership of unethical behavior in a failed lawsuit.
Most recently, interim city manager Deanna Santana resigned following an incident involving Councilmember Evelyn Chua, who was accused of nearly violating the Brown Act — California’s open meeting law — by improperly trying to schedule a meeting of the city council. That issue briefly led to Chua’s censure and simultaneous calls to investigate the city manager and city attorney.
After a brief stint in the position by Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez, the city council appointed Willie Hopkins Jr. to the position permanently this May.
In Milpitas, as in many other cities, the city manager works as the chief executive of the city, directing, managing and hiring much of the city staff while receiving policy direction from the city council.
This year, the mayor’s chair and two council seats are up for grabs. With incumbents running for mayor and city council, the election has the potential to remake the council majority or change a single seat.
In the mayoral race, three candidates seek to unseat current Mayor Carmen Montano, who was elected as the first Latina to lead the city in 2022. Hon Lien has been on city council since 2022 and opted to challenge Montano rather than run for reelection for her city council seat. With a background in technology, political outsider Santosh Sahoo and Voltaire S. Montemayor a former geologist and perennial mayoral candidate round out the field. Montemayor did not respond to requests for an interview.
In the city council race, five candidates contend for two seats as Lien finishes her term and incumbent Garry Barbadillo looks to hold on to his seat. Former planning commissioner Bill Chuan, social worker and labor worker Seema Kanani, planning commissioner Dipak Awasthi and Jenny Ha Phan, who recently retired from a career in finance, join the race against Barbadillo.
For those challenging the incumbent mayor and city council, the turnover in city staff was proof of the need for fresh leaders. Sahoo said the turnover is a symptom of a “very significant dysfunctional leadership.”
“The people who are running (the city) right now, they have been part of the problem,” he said. He said his candidacy offers a fresh start since his experience is in business rather than government.
Meanwhile, Lien has been vocal during her time as a councilmember about turnover and leadership issues.
“Why is it that we hire a city manager and we try to do the city manager’s job?” she asked, arguing that the city council has consistently overstepped its role. That has been partly the cause of the city’s administrative issues, which has delayed key projects, she argued, saying “the most important thing right now is staff retention.”
Incumbent Mayor Montano dismissed such criticism. “No matter what, you’re gonna go through different city managers until you get it right,” she said. “It’s just the norm when things don’t work out.”
She also noted that many of the personnel issues related to hirings and departures could not be disclosed
“People don’t know what goes on behind the scenes,” she said.
Council incumbent Barbadillo joined Montano in defending the changes in city leadership, noting that different factors led to each case.
“Each of the councils made decisions that are best for the city, and if that decision results in turnover, so be it,” he said.
But Kanani argued that discord among top officials affects how the city is run.
“If the parents are fighting,” he said, “what is going to happen to the children?”