> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# City Hall execs to be reviewed by politicians
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/city-hall-execs-to-be-reviewed-by-politicians/
- Published: 2003-10-15T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:06:02.000Z
- Author: John Wood
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*City manager, attorney and clerk to go before council*

How well the top three City Hall administrators are doing their jobs will be discussed privately by the Santa Monica City Council tonight.

Each of the three leaders — City Manager Susan McCarthy, City Attorney Marsha Moutrie and City Clerk Maria Stewart — report independently to the City Council, and each oversees a distinct branch of City Hall.

The reviews, which are done annually, allow council members to check in on the progress of the three women. While many of the council members have praised their work, they also have said there is room for improvement.

“One phrase that will be part of this year’s discussions is ‘customer service,’” Councilman Kevin McKeown said Tuesday. “We’ve made improvements in the past few years, but there is work still to be done.”

Council members declined to comment on exactly what will be discussed in the closed meetings, saying it would be an inappropriate breach of the employee-employer relationship. But they did say ongoing concerns, such as reducing department sizes, will be addressed.

647,“There’s seven of us who are the boss, so to speak, so it’s a bit complicated,” said Mayor Richard Bloom, who added that some preliminary review meetings have already taken place. “We spent some time discussing the evaluation and what we want to accomplish before we begin as a group, and then each of us have individual things that we want to discuss.”

Bloom said bonuses can be given and WHAT ABOUT RAISES?

Moutrie, who oversees 42 people in the City Attorney’s Office, earns $177,948 a year. Moutrie, 56, has run the department for 10 years and is responsible for its three divisions — civil, criminal and municipal — as well as a special unit that deals with consumer and housing issues.

As the executive officer of the municipal government, McCarthy, 58, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the city, including new ordinances and policies. She earns $193,260 a year and oversees all of City Hall’s 14 departments, as well as the budget.

After 18 years of working other jobs in City Hall, including assistant city manager, director of community and cultural services and personnel director, McCarthy was promoted to city manager in November of 1999.

Stewart, who has worked at City Hall for more than eight years, earns $124,860 a year. She is in charge of the seven-person city clerk department and another five workers at City Hall’s mail room and print shop on Colorado Boulevard.

As the city clerk, Stewart keeps records of City Hall’s laws and proposed laws, administers elections, prepares agendas and minutes for City Hall meetings, and oversees City Hall’s mail room and print shop.

Though the annual reviews, which have no time limits, are designed to check on the performance of the three workers, Bloom said they serve another purpose.

“It’s also an opportunity for the three of them to provide us some feedback about things that they’re interested in hearing from us,” he said.

Having three distinct branches of City Hall is a style of government that officials say provides for appropriate checks and balances in City Hall without requiring that each decision be micro-managed by the City Council.

“Santa Monica’s system provides both protective separation and appropriate accountability,” McKeown said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 15, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101503.pdf?ref=smdp.com)