Whittier council meets behind closed doors on firing city manager, takes no action

The Whittier City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to go behind closed doors to discuss City Manager Jackie Wilde's contract, including whether to fire her. Members came back an hour later and adjourned without taking action.

Vice Mayor Peter Denmark and council members Tom Wagner, Renner Macaltao and David Pinquoch voted for the closed session. Jamie Loan, Lori Borg and Mayor Victor Shen voted against it. Denmark's motion cited city code allowing closed sessions on matters that could hurt city finances if disclosed, and to get legal advice. The city's attorney said neither reason gave Wilde the right to demand the discussion be held in public.

She had used that right last month. At a Sept. 22 meeting, Wagner asked for a closed-door evaluation of Wilde's performance, and she asked that it be held in public instead. Wagner then told the council he believed "our city manager has lost the support of the community, and I believe that she has lost the confidence of the council, specifically me." He said he would not say more, and that there was a reason. Wagner did not speak to the motion Tuesday.

Shen said the council should wait. "We have a city manager review in November, which is only a month away," he said, calling it shortsighted to start talking about termination before then.

Borg said the city's legal counsel told her Wilde had not broken her contract or put the city in financial jeopardy, at least to counsel's knowledge. She cited city records showing a little over $10,000 in combined costs tied to the repeated meetings on the issue.

Pinquoch said personnel matters are usually handled in closed session, and that the council, as the city manager's supervisor, should be able to handle them without airing every complaint in public.

About 20 people spoke, and the clerk read 10 letters, nearly all backing Wilde. One came from the president of Chugach Alaska Corp. Nick Olnak, a Whittier resident and business owner, read Wagner's September remarks back to the council and said Wagner had since requested, canceled and moved several special meetings without putting a reason on the record.

Among the few critics, Eric Fleming, a commercial fisherman the city sued in 2024 in a code enforcement case, cited permit delays and what he described as an adversarial approach from the city manager.

Wilde, joining remotely, said she had heard that her approach can feel more direct or firm than some council members would like, and that she could listen with more patience and explain decisions more clearly. "I don't want to lose my job," she said. She said she would welcome a mentor and asked council members to tell her their concerns and give her a fair chance to respond.