Bryan Montgomery appointed new Indio city manager; Councilmember calls for investigation into hiring process
The Indio City Council voted 3-1 to approve the appointment of Bryan Montgomery as the new city manager.
“It became clear during the interview process that Bryan intends to immerse himself in the community and become actively involved,” said Mayor Elaine Holmes. “From the Tamale Festival to our high school football games, the community will see him there and know he’s available to help. I’m confident his leadership will continue launching Indio toward its highest level of success.”
Montgomery will start in his new position on May 13, 2021. He replaces Mark Scott, who announced his retirement last year, and served as Indio's City Manager since 2017.
Montgomery has 28 years of local government experience, including 15 years as the city manager for Oakley, CA.
"I am honored to be selected by the City Council to become the City Manager of Indio," said Montgomery. "We love the desert and have been looking for a community with a solid foundation, a quality City Council, professional city staff, and a bright future -- Indio has all of those and the people here are so friendly and genuine.”
There was some controversy during the council's vote. Some residents who participated in public comment said they wanted more community input in the hire, whether it be through surveys or townhalls.
"People's voices do not matter in terms of the most powerful position in the city," one resident said
Councilmember Lupe Ramos Watson said the city has continually went out to get public comment through townhalls and community forums throughout her 18 years as a councilmember.
"The requests that are being made today as priorities haven't changed since I first became a councilmember 18 years ago. The challenge is, how do we continue to move Indio forward given the limited funds that we have," Watson said.
Mayor Pro-Tem Waymond Fermon was the lone no vote. He said while he believes Montgomery is a qualified candidate, but had some issues.
"My decisions are always fashioned in the best interest of the community, with all do respect, collectively, I don't believe we accomplished that," Fermon said.
Councilmember Oscar Ortiz abstain from voting as he said he is calling for a civil grand jury investigation by Riverside County into the hiring process.
"I have reason to believe that we have undergone a flawed and unlawful process. The county will now decide whether they want to pursue this investigation based on the information provided. I hope that this process provides accountability as well as higher ethical standards for the future of our city"
"I have reason enough to believe this hiring process has been illegal," Ortiz added on Facebook.
Ortiz said the investigation could take several months.