CRESWELL – The city manager appointment process hit a few hiccups in recent weeks, all eventually leading to the same outcome: Vincent Martorello is Creswell’s new city manager. 

The city council made the appointment on a 4-3 vote on May 13; soon after, however, previous news clips surfaced regarding details from the appointee’s past employment. 

Council learned that in 2008, the Oregon State University Student Alliance sued the university after the removal of newspaper bins for The Liberty. Martorello was one of four administrators named in the lawsuit. The students claimed the removal violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The university revised its policy to allow all publications to have bins on campus. In 2014, the case was settled for $101,000.

In 2016, Martorello became the superintendent of Willamalane Park & Recreation District; he resigned in 2018 due to a romantic relationship with a subordinate. At that time, there was no established policy regarding workplace relationships, and Martorello stated that he and the board parted on good terms. He told The Chronicle that he has been married to his wife Ronnie for five years, and she was the employee with whom he had a relationship.

For full details on the lawsuit and the resignation involving Martorello, check out last week’s story. 

Spencer Nebel, the interim city manager, said that the council was unaware of these instances when they first selected Martorello. Martorello said that it was an oversight due to differences in application processes, not an intentional attempt to conceal information. He said he regularly discloses this information on applications, but was not asked to do so during this process. 

On May 20, the council took a deeper dive during an Executive Session to determine if what they learned would impact their appointment. 

It didn’t.

“I’m grateful, and I’m looking forward to starting and doing good work on behalf of the City of Creswell and the community,” Martorello said after the final decision. “I’m feeling very positive about everything.”

The council last Tuesday met in private for an hour before reconvening to make a public vote. At least one of the four candidates who voted for Martorello would have needed to change their stance for the council to reconsider his appointment. 

While Mayor Nick Smith made a motion to reconsider, councilors Joan Morris, Clark Kent, and Mark Kremer held their positions, and Smith’s motion was not seconded. 

Smith declined to comment for this story. 

The Creswell City Council on May 20 voted to move forward to negotiate an employment agreement with Martorello. Smith, City Attorney Ross Williamson, and Nebel are working with Martorello on drafting the terms. 

“Once we have an agreement, it will be brought back to the council for their review and approval,” which may occur at a special meeting or on June 9 at the regular meeting, depending on when it is completed, Nebel said. “A start date will be established with this employment agreement, but will likely be a date in July.”

Nebel’s interim agreement ends June 13, and Nebel said the council will likely name a current department head from the City to fill the gap between the time he leaves and Martorello starts his position. 

Making a difference

Martorello said he is looking forward to the move from Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he has been the director of the Council Bluffs Parks and Recreation department. 

“My wife (Ronnie) and I really want to invest ourselves in a community that we believe we could make a difference, both professionally and personally,” Martorello said. “For me, it was a nice evolution from the role that I have now as Park and Recreation director. I see the good that parks do for people and changing lives, and I wanted to be able to make that difference on a larger or broader level.”

Nebel said there is typically a moving allowance offered as part of an employment agreement. 

“The amount is currently in negotiations,” he said.

As for what the City can expect of Martorello’s leadership style, “I’m a direct communicator. I don’t like surprises, so I have a no-surprise clause (where he works) so no one’s caught flat footed, and everyone has a chance to have a heads up.”

On approaching complex issues, Martorello said he relies heavily on data as the foundation for decision-making.  

“I point out what the issue is, what we’re trying to do, the data on why we might be making this recommendation, or what’s bringing us to this conclusion. And for the council and in conversations, I typically lay out here are the options, and what the consequences or results of those options might be,” he said. “I’m a very principle-oriented leader. It’s important for me to align with the principles of the community, and that’s why Creswell resonated with me. … so for me, it would be setting up parameters, being a resource for staff, and helping them to achieve their goals.”

Moratorium

Martorello said a top priority is addressing the moratorium on building in Creswell after the Department of Environmental Quality placed development restrictions on the west side of town until its wastewater systems are brought into compliance. 

Nebel said that he is confident that Martorello and the council can tackle the mortatorum issue.

“While there are significant issues that will need to be addressed in the future, the biggest being the wastewater mutual agreement and order,” Nebel said. “The mayor, council, and staff are in a great place to move forward with a regional alternative that will address wastewater treatment for many years going forward.”

Mortarello said that, while the city will be presented with complex situations like the moratorium, “I don’t look at conflict as conflict. For me, there’s no good news, there’s no bad news, it’s just news. That’s how we are going to respond.”

Martorello agrees, adding the moratorium “might be one of those things where the ideal is not on the table anymore. We can’t try to get back to the ideal, because we don’t have that anymore. So for me, we need to make a decision. We need to be decisive about that decision, and we need to walk through it,” he said.

Martorello said he plans to be here for the long haul.

“I would like to retire in Creswell. That’s my intention. So whether that’s 10 years, 15 years, I don’t know, but when I finally do retire, I would like to leave behind not only the thought that I did good for Creswell, but also that I made a difference in the community.”