City Manager Laura Snideman resigns following closed session on Wednesday
Calistoga’s City Manager Laura Snideman resigned from her position following a City Council closed session performance evaluation on Wednesday morning.
Mayor Donald Williams confirmed Snideman’s resignation on Wednesday and said Mitch Celaya, Calistoga’s assistant city manager and former police chief, would step into the role as interim city manager, effective immediately.
“The council and I appreciate all the excellent and hard work (Laura) has done and we’re glad Mitch is able to step in, in the interim,” Williams told the Tribune. “The council looks forward to the successful operation of the city as it serves the citizens of Calistoga.”
During Wednesday’s closed session, which lasted roughly two hours, Williams said there was public comment from department heads and members of the public. While he did not say what was discussed, he confirmed city staff who spoke included Fire Chief Jed Matcham; Planning and Building Director Greg Desmond; Fairgrounds Director Sheli Wright; Finance Director Connie Cardenas; Deputy City Manager Rachel Stepp and Human Resources Director Rena Lariz.
Calistogan Brian Durnian spoke during public comment and said he also listened to what the city employees had to say about the environment at City Hall.
“It was sad to see it had to get to this point where you had to have employees coming forward to council and get emotional and honest about talking about what was wrong with the city manager and being fearful of losing their jobs because of the power that she wields,” Durnian said.
He added, “When your HR comes out and says, ‘We have an issue,’ that says a lot. And when you have a city attorney in attendance to guide the city council members along, they better listen. It’s unfortunate it took this long.”
A joint statement from the city and Snideman was shared with the Tribune on Wednesday afternoon.
“The city thanks Laura Snideman for her great work during her dedicated years of service to Calistoga, including moving significant capital projects along and modernizing many IT needs. Laura is very proud to have served a community so dear to her since her childhood and is excited for its future. The council wishes her the best in her future endeavors,” the statement said.
Snideman has served as Calistoga’s city manager since February 2022. Throughout her tenure with the city, she has been involved in multiple controversies surrounding her management.
In August 2023, the City Council launched an investigation following a formal complaint from an unidentified city employee filed that July, alleging Snideman had engaged in harassment and had fostered a hostile work environment at City Hall. That September, the city’s planning director, Jeff Mitchem, made similar accusations of improper behavior by city management in his letter of resignation.
In November 2023, following the months-long investigation, the City Council unanimously concluded the complaints that Snideman had fostered a hostile work environment were unfounded.
Last July, the city hired both an assistant city manager, former Police Chief Celaya, and a deputy city manager, former Parks and Recreation Director Stepp. That same month, the council approved a $57,000 pay raise for Snideman. Critics have argued that adding the two director-level positions is excessive for Calistoga, a city with a population of roughly 5,200.
A recent Tribune request for city employee records shows that the salary, including benefits, for the city manager, assistant city manager and deputy city manager in the current fiscal year are $382,301, $345,651 and $280,674 respectively, totaling just over $1 million for the three positions.
Earlier this year, in February and March, the city council again met for multiple closed sessions to discuss Snideman’s performance. At the time, multiple council members confirmed to the Tribune that the meetings were triggered by a noticeable increase in emails to council members from members of the public, expressing various concerns regarding city management.
Councilmember Scott Cooper said at the time City Attorney Michelle Kenyon was conducting a 360-degree performance evaluation of Snideman. Following those closed sessions, no reportable action was taken by council.
The news of Snideman’s departure this week also comes following reports that her executive assistant, Shannon Mattingly recently resigned from her position after a little more than a year in the role. Previously, Jennifer Minitti, the former executive assistant to the city manager, resigned, also after nearly a year in the position.
The city has not said what, if any, severance package Snideman will receive. According to her initial employment contract, signed in January 2022, “severance shall be paid to the employee when employment is terminated without cause,” and “if employee voluntarily resigns her employment with the employer, she shall not be entitled to any severance pay nor continued compensation and benefits, except as otherwise might be agreed by employer in this employment agreement.”
