THE WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL.
By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune
A closed session of the Westminster City Council on Wednesday at 4 p.m. could mean a major uproar or nothing much.
There are two items on the closed session agenda. The first is a public employee performance evaluation for the city manager, Christine Cordon. The second is “public employee discipline/dismissal/release.”
CHRISTINE CORDON is the Westminster City Manager (City of Westminster photo).
Such items raise the possibility that the long-volatile city council would do what previous councils have done: terminate a professional executive after a short period in office. Or it could mean just a routine discussion on performance and goals.
The Tribune contacted council members, community leaders and even Cordon, but there was either no reply or ambiguous answers.
She has been the fourth city manager the city has had over a five-year period. Cordon came to Westminster in 2016 as assistant city clerk, filling the city clerk position in 2018 upon the death of Amanda Jensen.
When Marwan Youseff – who only served six months as city manager – was forced into retirement, Cordon was named “acting” (and later “interim”) city manager in September 2021.
She was elevated to city manager in May 2022.
In recent months, the city council majority elected in November 2022 began to have clashes with Cordon. In June, a detailed staff report on the possibility of raising money for the cash-strapped city by renting space on city property for electronic billboards was presented to the council.
When members of the council majority balked, asking for more information or a chance to be involved with the process, Cordon – who has described herself as “not easily intimidated”– replied “I find this insulting,” saying she had previously briefed council members on the details of the project.
The council eventually accepted the proposal on a 4-0 vote at a later meeting.
The closed session is scheduled to begun at 4 p.m. in the council chamber at 8200 Westminster Blvd. There will be an opportunity for comments from the public before session begins its deliberations.
The open session is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.