Someone might want to update California State University at Stanislaus on the job status of one of its graduates.
The Stan State Masters of Public Administration Facebook page has a profile of Miranda Lutzow that was posted Feb. 2, 2022 extolling the virtues of securing a MPA degree at the Turlock university.
It notes that Lutzow is the city manager for the City of Manteca and is a member of the CSUS Class of 2015.
Lutzow resigned from her position as Manteca’s city manager over 11 months before the Facebook profile was posted.
Not only that, after she resigned, she filed a claim and then a lawsuit against the city.
Lutzow is also among the graduates featured on the webpage for the Master of Public Administration program for CSUS.
That page quotes Lutzow as saying, "As a city manager, I have the privilege of coordinating and overseeing the activities of all city departments, from police to parks and recreation, while providing direct staff assistance to the mayor and city council members. I am required to not only focus on the practical, everyday responsibilities of running a city, but also develop long-range programs that benefit our residents. The complex nature of my position requires a broad foundation of skills and a deep understanding of the intricacies of how bureaucracies’ function. The MPA program at CSU-Stanislaus grounded me in the leadership skills and ethics needed to succeed professionally, including conducting scientific research, developing effective policies, and evaluation of potential public programs, to keep Council directives moving forward in a way that benefits the public good."
Since Lutzow’s departure last February Manteca has gone through an interim city manager (Michael Harden), a permanent city manager (Toby Wells) and is now on its second interim city manager (Toni Lundgren).
Anyone going to
apologize to Steve
DeBrum and others?
Two Manteca residents have sent emails expressing their opinion Manteca Mayor Ben Cantu owes former Mayor Steve DeBrum and the City Council seated prior to Cantu’s election in 2018 an apology.
They recalled that Cantu — when Lutzow in October 2020 said she had uncovered a “$67 million cash deficit” based on the assessment of financial consultant — strongly asserted it proved his long time claims about horrible mismanaged by 30 years of councils, mayor and staff.
It was verified this week after 17 months of getting the city’s books back in order that the financial mismanagement wasn’t on the scale that it was portrayed.
As for the “$67 million cash deficit”, it didn’t exist. It was simply a failure to draw down funds in appropriate accounts and to correctly assign fees collected from growth fees to pay for water and sewer projects as well as properly accounting for $11 million in postponed collection of development feeds and room taxes associated with the Great Wolf project.
One of the email senders contends Cantu owes previous mayors, councils, and staff an apology but doesn’t expect it will be forthcoming.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
