Edhat Staff
Robert Samario (top left) pictured with Santa Barbara City Department Heads [Photo: City of Santa Barbara]
By edhat staff
The City of Santa Barbara Finance Director, Robert Samario, has announced retirement after 24 years.
Samario was appointed Finance Director in July 2010 and served as the City’s Assistant Finance Director for more than 14 years. He coordinated the development of the City’s two-year financial plans and annual budgets and provided oversight to the divisions of Treasury, Accounting, Risk Management, Purchasing, and Environmental Services. He managed 47 employees and a $6 million department budget.
“It has been an honor and pleasure to work for the City of Santa Barbara for the last 24 years,” said Samario. “The City does great work on behalf of the community and I am proud to have worked with so many talented people dedicated to making the City a great place to live and visit. I am looking forward to the next chapter working in the private sector providing services to local governments, which is where my career started.”
Samario has been out of the office since November after allegedly being placed on leave due to an investigation, according to reports from Noozhawk.
At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nina Johnson, Senior Assistant to the City Administrator, sent a press release announcing Samario’s retirement. There was no mention of his long absence. Before Wednesday, the City had not commented other than stating it is a “personnel matter.”
A recruitment process will be conducted to fill the executive position. Finance and Treasury Manager Jennifer Tomaszewski will serve as Interim Finance Director while the recruitment is underway.
If it was a personnel issue, the City of SB can not speak of it.(period) If there was a crime committed, the City , City Attorney and possibly the D.A. must have transparency and lay it on the table….
Correction: City Finance Director Samario cost taxpayers $280,00 a year in 2018; lifetime pension will be based on his final year compensation formula and time in service: Robert Samario
Finance Dir (2018)
Regular pay:$198,715.85
Overtime pay:$0.00
Other pay:$28,324.32
Total pay:$227,040.17
Benefits:$16,401.56
Pension debt:$36,687.02
Total pay & benefits:$280,128.75
This situation reeks of corruption. I have about had it with how incompetent and backwards local government and the Sheriff Dept. are. We pay far too much and the people here are too nice to stand by and see them get swindled by a pack of incompetent and crooked fools. Before anyone gets all tribal with the stupid politics, I’m a lifelong Democrat by the way.
Hey City of SB! Why haven’t you given a reason as to why this $200k/year employee was on leave since November? And now you’re putting out a press release that he’s RETIRING like it’s no big deal even when he’s quoted to say he’s not retiring, just going back to the private sector? Something is afoot here.