Arnold formalizes firing of city manager, names temporary replacement
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Arnold Council approved starting a search for a new city manager Tuesday after firing its former manager and hiring a temporary replacement.
Council voted 4-1 to fire Mario Bellavia, with Councilman Phil McKinley casting the only vote against.
While McKinley previously said Bellavia had been fired on Sept. 20, city Solicitor Jaclyn Shaw, who participated in the meeting by telephone, said Bellavia had been placed on administrative leave and was paid up until Tuesday.
A reason for Bellavia’s termination has not been disclosed. McKinley said he believes it is because he disobeyed an order from Councilwoman Debbie Vernon.
Bellavia did not respond to a request for comment earlier in the day, and did not attend the council meeting.
An Arnold native, Bellavia worked for the city since June 2018, when he was hired as city clerk. He was named city administrator in February 2020.
Council then voted 4-1, again with McKinley dissenting, to hire Kerry Krider of KLH Engineers to serve as interim/acting city manager until a permanent replacement has been hired.
Councilman George Hawdon said Krider was one of two candidates council interviewed for the temporary job. The other was John Trant of Strategic Solutions, a professional community planning services company, Hawdon said.
Krider will be paid $75 per hour; Trant’s pay would have been $150 per hour, Hawdon said. Hawdon said he expects an interim/acting manager to work 10 to 12 hours per month.
Hawdon said an interim/acting manager is needed to oversee the city budget, handle administrative tasks and oversee the search for a new manager.
Council voted unanimously to advertise the position of city manager and begin interviews of candidates.
Council is anticipated to change after the November election with the addition of a new mayor, Shannon Santucci, and a new councilman, Aaron Moore, both of whom are running unopposed along with McKinley.
Hawdon, who is leaving council after not seeking reelection, said the intention is for the existing council to do the search for a new manager and hand those results over to the new council for it to make a hire in January.
McKinley thanked Bellavia for his service, calling him a watchdog for city taxpayers, and suggested that he may return to the job.
“I look forward to working with him after the first of the year,” he said.