In the latest shake-up in Lemon Grove, City Manager Lydia Romero announced Tuesday she was resigning her post at the end of the year. The unexpected announcement came in a short email sent out by the city’s communications specialist. “It has been an honor to serve the Lemon Grove Community and w ork along such dedicated and passionate City staff,” Romero said in the statement. “I am proud of what we’ve accomplished together.” Her resignation announcement did not specify why she was departing the position, which she held for 10 years. The mayor and City Council will appoint an interim city manager while they go through the process to select the next city manager, according to the statement. It is unclear when the appointment process will begin. The agenda for their next regular meeting has not yet been published. There has been no public discussion between the city manager and City Council at meetings regarding her resignation, nor has there been any obvious disagreement between her and the council members or staff. “On behalf of the entire City Council, we extend our deep gratitude to City Manager Romero,” Mayor Alysson Snow said in the statement. “Ms. Romero’s leadership succeeded in not only stabilizing, but strengthening our City’s finances, helped the City tackle miles of street repairs, and bolstered support for our businesses.” Snow declined to comment further on Romero’s resignation. In an email, communications specialist Gregory Jackson said Romero asked “that all inquiries be directed to Mayor Alysson Snow.” Romero was hired as Lemon Grove city manager in 2015 and previously worked as deputy city manager for San Marcos for eight years. She was hired at a base salary of $175,000 in 2015, but her employment agreement was amended in 2021 to increase her pay by $6,000 each year thereafter. This means her total salary by 2025 was $199,000. According to the most recent agreement, her employment term would have ended on Jan. 1 without renewal from the city council. Her exit came just a week after the swearing in of city council appointee Seth Smith, a seat which city leaders had struggled to fill since the summer. ...read more read less