City of Dayton, Floyd reach separation agreement

DAYTON – Early last week, word came that City Manager Steve Floyd was leaving after only 10 months on the job, and now city leaders have reached a separation agreement.

Council met for a special meeting on Friday night to discuss that agreement and the possible appointment of an interim to lead the city.

"The City of Dayton and City Manager Steve Floyd are parting ways effective immediately as he has signed a separation agreement with the city. We appreciate the work Steve did for us, and we wish him well in his future endeavors," said Mayor Caroline Wadzeck.

That motion was made by Councilmen Dwight Pruitt, who had expressed issue with the move earlier in the week but told everyone in attendance that it was the right thing to do after speaking with his fellow council members.

The agreement will pay Floyd six months of his $195,000 salary, coming in at $97,500.

There was support from several Dayton residents for Floyd during the public comments, and they urged council, not to part ways with the city manager.

"I was very disappointed to hear the recent news about our newest city manager. I'm unclear as to whether this was his idea or if it was the doing of our elected leaders or some other entity. Either way, this is a sad turn of events for our city," Sarah Vickery told council.

Marina Quiroz, who has been an adamant supporter of Floyd's, following his help in bringing a semblance of peace to her family, following what she called failures by past leadership, to bring justice to her daughter Madelyn Quiroz.

"What this man has provided, it takes a very special heart, a special man to come to this city and take over as many of y'all may know- chaos, from financial binds to community failures," Quiroz told council.

Her daughter Madelyn by her mother’s side, also addressed council and expressed her support of Floyd, who she said had supported her in her time of need.

As to the exact reasons for the city and Floyd parting ways, it will likely never be made public following the separation agreement.

The city's day-to-day operations will now be in the hands of Calyn Wesson, who was brought to the city as finance director under Floyd and recently promoted to deputy city manager.

“Calyn Wesson will fill the position of interim City Manager, and our very capable staff will continue their work as usual,” said Wadzeck.

Wesson has an extensive record of success at the municipal level and in school finance and is a CPA with a master's in finance. During her tenure with the city, she assisted Floyd in unearthing major financial issues due to past city leadership and has worked to help right the ship.

“The Mayor, City Council, and Steve Floyd faced many challenges over the past 10 months. Together they faced the difficult decision of raising water rates, laying off employees, and shutting down the city pool. As is often the case, early and difficult decision-making can strain relationships. Mr. Floyd has had a successful 34-year career in local government, and the City of Dayton benefitted from this experience. There is no shortage of work to be done as Dayton is poised for a tremendous growth period. I’ll serve as Interim City Manager and assist the Mayor and Council in their search for the next City Manager for the City of Dayton,” said Wesson.

Whatever the reasons for Floyd's departure, the city has found itself in tough times, and the job may not have been what he signed on for, and now the city will have to continue working on solutions while searching for a new city manager.

Floyd was not in attendance and unable to comment as part of his separation agreement, but perhaps his words several months back foreshadowed things to come.

"Coming into a less-than-good situation has been very tough. I saw this job as being fun, working with developers, expanding infrastructure, and promoting growth, as I did while in Mont Belvieu. Unfortunately, that has not been the case," said Floyd.