National City is expected to appoint a permanent city manager and city attorney Tuesday, bringing potential stability to a city that has operated without permanent leadership at the top of its administration since April 2025.
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The City Council is set to vote on employment agreements appointing Douglas Schulze as city manager and Heidi Skinner as city attorney, both effective June 17. Skinner has served as interim city attorney since February 2026.
Schulze’s three-year contract sets his base salary at $300,000 annually. Skinner’s three-year agreement sets her base salary at $265,000, with a guaranteed 4% annual increase after years one and two contingent on satisfactory performance reviews.
The city manager appointment caps a search that Councilmember Marcus Bush previously called a “failed recruitment process,” marked by a lack of community engagement and employee input. The city received 88 applications for the position before ultimately selecting Schulze.
Schulze was most recently city manager of Banning, a role he held from October 2018 to March 2025. Prior to that, he held city manager positions in Bainbridge Island, Wash.; Normandy Park, Wash.; and Medina, Wash., among other positions, a career in municipal management stretching over three decades.
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Mayor Ron Morrison said Schulze left Banning after being placed on administrative leave following the election of a new City Council that wanted a change in the city’s leadership.
“We checked out everything on him, in this day and age you pretty much have to,” Morrison said. “Being a city manager isn’t the same as it used to be when someone would be in the position for years and years. Cities go through city managers like glasses of water. In the references we checked, in our own investigations, everyone had great things to say about (Schulze).”
The City of Banning could not be reached for comment.
The instability in the city manager’s office traces back to May 2023, when City Manager Brad Ralston departed. His intended permanent replacement, Armando Vergara, died of a heart attack two days after being hired.
Ben Martinez followed as interim and then permanent city manager before being pushed out in April 2025 over performance issues. Three interim or acting appointments followed — Scott Huth, Police Chief Alejandro Hernandez and, most recently, Director of Public Works Stephen Manganiello — before Schulze was selected.
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The council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.
