Although nobody at Irvine City Hall will say it outright, City Manager Sean Joyce’s contract renewal this June may be in jeopardy as insiders say relationships between some council members and Joyce have become strained.
City Council members are set to discuss Joyce’s performance during the closed session of Tuesday’s regular council meeting. The timing of the performance evaluation is curious because Joyce’s contract isn’t up for another four months.
This is not the first time there have been indications that Joyce has fallen out of favor with council members.
In September, Councilwoman Beth Krom sent Joyce a particularly nasty email, dressing him down for, she said in the email, caving to then Councilwoman Christina Shea’s demands to place items on past meeting agendas.
Krom, however, wouldn’t confirm whether that email represented her overall feeling about Joyce and rejected the notion that such early review of the city manager was unusual.
“This is just part of the process we go through every two years,” Krom said. “I don’t think people should engage in speculation about anything.”
Mayor Sukhee Kang placed the item on the agenda, however he did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Kang and Joyce have a close relationship, sources say, and he maybe Joyce’s only strong supporter.
Voice of OC will be reporting more details as they emerge.