Banning City Council Places City Manager On Paid Administrative Leave

BANNING, CA — The Banning City Council last week voted to place City Manager Doug Schulze on an indefinite paid administrative leave.

In his place, the council appointed Police Lt. Robert Fisher as the acting city manager.

"There was reportable action taken on that item," said City Attorney John Pinkney on Feb. 11.

During the closed session, Mayor Sheri Flynn, Mayor Pro Tem Richard Royce and councilmember Cindy Barrington voted in favor. Councilmembers Leroy Miller and Colleen Wallace voted against the motion.

Both motions to place Schulze on leave and Fisher in his place passed 3-2.

Mayor Flynn told the Riverside Record that Schulze's removal was not "a punitive thing" and that there wouldn't be an investigation.

"It’s a matter of looking at some concerns that are sometimes easier to question and look at when the person is not actually there, because other people may feel intimidated," she told the newspaper.

Fisher has served a lengthy tenure with Banning and will move from the police department into City Hall.

The appointment comes one year after Fisher returned to work for the department after a $2 million settlement of his wrongful termination lawsuit against the city, the Record Gazette reported.