The Southern California Latino Policy Center’s Ethics Advisor Ruben Duran provides regional policymakers with some timely counsel how to balance their free speech rights with their duties and obligations as elected officials.
It was either a brilliant move or a decision made in desperation, but a council majority of the City of Maywood recently hired a new city administrator with no previous local government experience. The decision was quickly criticized and resulted in less-than positive news coverage.
But when we sat down to talk with Reuben Martinez, a former aerospace executive, we discovered something we do not often encounter in ranks of municipal executives: boundless enthusiasm. Despite the challenges of a state audit and other fiscal problems in Maywood, Martinez remains optimistic he can help guide the city through dark times.
We believe Maywood’s decision offers a unique opportunity to explore this month’s focus in the Latino Policy Connection:
What makes an effective public executive?