WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Watertown city manager Ken Mix has decided to stay on the job.
Citing tensions among city council members, Mix announced on October 4 that he wasn’t renewing his contract when it ended on December 31.
He confirmed his decision to stay to 7 News Friday morning.
“The city council has been very sincere in terms of wanting me to stay, and willing to listen to my concerns, and address those,” he said. “They said they are going to do that, so I think it’s a good opportunity to move on. We have so much going on in the city now, I would like to continue working on them.”
City council members scrambled to try to persuade Mix to stay, culminating in a meeting this week during which they decided unanimously that they wanted him to stay and came up with changes in the way material from council members would be presented to him. Council Member Patrick Hickey said council members decided to only forward ideas or resolutions they know they have the votes for.
“We would make sure that there wasn’t any micromanaging, and a path forward to him just being able to manage and take the direction of the majority of council and move forward,” said Mayor Jeff Smith.
Since Mix’s announcement, Mayor Smith has blamed Council Member Cliff Olney for micromanaging the city manager. Olney said on Tuesday that he would change his approach, but had wished he’d known Mix’s concerns earlier.
“Were this to have been brought to our attention earlier, maybe, before a discussion between Mr. Mix and also the Mayor alone, that if the contention was with me, certainly I would have liked the opportunity to have addressed it,” Olney said.
Council Member Lisa Ruggiero is hopeful communication will improve.
“It was basically helping him improve his working conditions, and I think that going forward it’s definitely going to work,” she said.
Hickey said Mix’s decision is a “win” for the city. He said he’s done a wonderful job, and his employees enjoy working under him.
In a statement to 7 News, Council Member Sarah Compo Pierce said “Mr. Mix is an individual who has done a great job managing the City and is well respected by the hardworking staff he oversees. While the birth of our daughter has prevented me from taking part in discussions about his future with the City, I am pleased an agreement has been reached for him to remain in his position.”
Mix came out of retirement in January 2020 to become interim city manager. He took the job permanently later that year and helped guide the city through the coronavirus pandemic.
He says says his contract typically runs for two years, but specifics will likely be discussed during a closed session at Monday’s city council meeting.
Copyright 2022 WWNY. All rights reserved.
