Longtime city administrator Doug Schmitz appointed to interim position in Carmel.

At about 1:30pm, just after Carmel City Council took their seats in city hall chambers, Councilmember Steve Dallas slid a name placard in front of the seat next to him. Affixed to it was a printed piece of paper reading: “Doug Schmitz”.

Moments later, Mayor Jason Burnett announced that Schmitz, who sat beside him, would be Carmel’s interim city administrator effective Oct. 6.

It was an announcement Burnett hinted at the previous night, after council held an almost four-hour closed session meeting discussing the severance terms of embattled city administrator Jason Stilwell, who is tendering his resignation.

Burnett mentioned that he and Councilmember Victoria Beach had interviewed Schmitz—a former Carmel city administrator from 1983-92, as well as in other cities, including Los Altos—but that he could not make any official announcements because the item hadn’t been agendized properly, which is why another meeting was scheduled for this afternoon.

At last night’s meeting, Burnett, speaking for the council, vaguely spelled out Stilwell’s severance terms:

“We accept the city administrator’s resignation effective with the appointment of an interim city administrator. We agree that he will be compensated according to his contract: 60 days plus six months severance. In addition, he will be compensated for unused vacation and comp time. He will also be compensated for two months of additional time in return for which he agrees to be on call to assist future city adminstrators as needed.”

Few remained in the council chambers at that point, but Carmel artist Vicenzo D'Amico, who ran for mayor in the spring as a write-in candidate, was still there holding a sign that read: “#SHOW STILLWELL (sic) THE STAIRWELL”.

Today’s meeting ran swiftly. Before a 5-0 vote in favor of appointing Schmitz, a handful of public comments expressed hope for the future.

“The [Giants] have been through a couple of serious slumps this summer, and as of the game last night, it was a new ballgame,” said Brian Congleton, who had previously worked with Schmitz while on the Carmel Planning Commission. “This is a breath of fresh air for all of us.”

At the end of the meeting, after Burnett expressed a formal welcome to Schmitz, the chambers erupted in applause.