Change is afoot in Moreno Valley’s highest levels of administration.
Brian Mohan is set to step up as acting city manager later this month following the retirement of City Manager Mike Lee.
Lee officially retires on Friday, Dec. 27. He was interim city manager beginning in December 2019 and he’s been city manager since June 2020.
“The city of Moreno Valley will deeply miss Mike Lee’s leadership, but we wish him the very best in this well-deserved retirement,” Mayor Ulises Cabrera said in a city news release Wednesday, Dec. 18.
On Dec. 3, the City Council offered Mohan the role of acting city manager. Mohan would step into the role immediately after Lee’s retirement to minimize disruption of city affairs, according to city spokesperson Marc Lyncheski.
Mohan’s appointment as permanent city manager is “contingent upon successful negotiations over the terms and conditions of his employment agreement,” Lyncheski said on Friday, Dec. 20.
Compensation, benefits and employment agreement may not be “formally negotiated” until the item is listed on a future closed session agenda, Lyncheski added.
According to Transparent California, a website that tracks salaries of public employees, Lee was paid $297,158 in 2023. His pay plus benefits totaled $522,692 last year.
The City Council may meet in closed session with City Attorney Steve Quintanilla to discuss a formal offer for Mohan. If the offer is approved, the appointment will come to the public at a future council meeting, Lyncheski said.
The city anticipates the appointment will be placed on the council’s Jan. 7 closed session agenda with possible final action on the employment agreement taken in open session, Lyncheski added.
