Fresno City Manager Tommy Esqueda has tendered his resignation after just 13 months on the job. Esqueda says he has decided to retire and move to South Carolina to be closer to his family. But the move follows clashes with some members of the city council and a reported “outburst” during a recent closed session meeting, per the Fresno Bee.
The city thanked Esqueda for his service, as did Council Members Garry Bredefeld and Mike Karbassi.
“He spoke out against what he saw as wasteful spending,” said Bredefeld, as quoted by GV Wire. “I found him to be extremely intelligent and competent. I think he didn’t want to have to deal with these kind of issues and decided to retire.”
Assistant City Manager Georgeanne White will take over as acting city manager on Feb. 2.