Council Votes to Let City Manager Keep His Job

In a close vote during a closed session, the Pasadena City Council has decided that embattled City Manager Phil Hawkey can keep his job until his contract expires in two years, council members said Friday.

Council members who supported Hawkey said the 4-3 vote strengthens his hand during the remainder of his contract but allows for a management change down the road.

“We agreed that during this period there will be no more discussion of throwing the city manager overboard,” Councilman William Crowfoot said. “In light of the contract’s expiration, we are doing some forward thinking like a corporation and working on a succession plan.”

Councilman Paul Little said the council wants Hawkey, who was appointed in 1990, to complete key projects and help identify successors within the current top ranks.

Since he named to the post seven years ago, Hawkey has come under fire over a variety of issues, including his failure to inform the city council that the then-police chief was under investigation by the district attorney’s office.