Rockville City Manager resigns

Rockville City Manager Rob DiSpirito has resigned. He submitted his resignation to the Mayor and Council after they held a closed session Thursday "to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of the City Manager, employees (sic) over whom the Mayor and Council has jurisdiction." As with most resignations of city staff, the reason for the resignation is not likely to become public, unless the departing official decides to issue a statement. The Mayor and Council have named Deputy City Manager Barack Matite as acting city manager, effective immediately.

A search for DiSpirito's replacement will be complicated by the rapidly approaching city election this November. With the Mayor and Council now serving four year terms, several City Council candidates have called for the selection of a City Manager to be postponed until the next Mayor and Council take office.

"I was disappointed to learn about the resignation of Rockville City Manager Rob DiSpirito," City Council candidate Adam Van Grack said in a statement Saturday. "Although we do not know the details surrounding this resignation, Rockville must carefully and thoughtfully select its next City Manager, who will have tremendous influence on city policy and decisions going forward."

"The new Mayor and Council will work with the new City Manager for at least four years. Therefore, they should have significant input into the selection of that City Manager through an open process that allows them to determine the City Manager’s qualifications...I urge the current Mayor and Council to hold off any City Manager candidate search or appointment until after the new Mayor and Council are seated in November, and I respectfully request that Barack Matite remain Acting City Manager through the election."

City Council candidate Barry Jackson concurred that Matite should stay on as acting city manager through the election. "We need to have the newly elected Mayor and City Council hire a City Manager through a transparent and thorough process," Jackson said in a statement. "Rockville needs to have a City Manager who has the full confidence of the new Mayor and City Council and of all Rockville’s residents. We can only do this with a process begun after the election of a new Mayor and City Council."

DiSpirito served as Rockville City Manager since November 2016. Matite has served as his deputy since January of this year, and while he probably didn't anticipate having to step into the top job this quickly, he has seven years of experience as city manager of Eudora, Kansas.

Photo via City of Rockville