Quick Take
Tamara Vides, an Argentina native with three decades of experience working in Watsonville, looks to bring stability to what has been a carousel of city managers for the South County city in recent years.
After two stints as interim, Tamara Vides earned the nod from the Watsonville City Council on Tuesday to become the next city manager.
Vides, a native of Argentina with three decades of experience working for the city, replaces Rene Mendez, who left for a city manager role in Salinas earlier this year. Vides is believed to be the first woman in the city’s history to hold the position, going back to at least the 1940s.
The city council voted 4-1 to elevate Vides from interim to permanent city manager, with councilmembers Kristal Salcido and Casey Clark absent. Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter was the lone no vote, and offered no context for why she opposed giving Vides the job. In a city news release last week announcing the likely hire of Vides, Quiroz-Carter was quoted as saying “the council selected the candidate they felt was best suited for the role,” after a “thorough search for top talent.”
Although she didn’t drop any names, Councilmember Ari Parker contrasted Vides’ proven commitment to Watsonville over the past three decades to previous city managers who left for roles in bigger cities. In 2021, Matt Huffaker left for the city of Santa Cruz; earlier this year, Mendez announced his departure for the city executive job in Salinas. In each instance, Vides stepped in as interim Watsonville city manager.
“You live in Watsonville, you live and breathe Watsonville,” Parker told Vides. “That didn’t seem to work with other people we had on board. They seemed to be in training for everyone else around us. I’m looking forward to all the experience you have with the city.”
Councilmember Jimmy Dutra said hiring Vides was a historic moment, as she would be the first female city manager in the city’s history.
“We’ve had people come through here who promised good intentions but have left,” Dutra said. “You’ve been here many years. You’ve seen this city really go through every type of experience it could go through.”
Eduardo Montesino said Vides represented a larger turn in the city toward women leaders, and noted that four of the seven city councilmembers are women.
“Women run the city,” Montesino said. “That’s a good thing.”
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