We still don’t know what prompted Indio City Manager Dan Martinez’s sudden resignation earlier this month. Now, adding to the mystery is the $400,000 check he walked away with. The lump sum severance payment was a result of a negotiated settlement with the council. But why?
Speculation was already rampant before the settlement. Martinez’s out-of-the-blue departure had peoples’ wheels turning.
"I think that somebody might be investigating, I mean it sounds like that,” said Indio resident Anne Yeh. “For somebody just to up and quit there might be a reason. Usually, there is a reason.”
Sam Torres, a former city council member, said he was concerned something “terribly personal” had caused Martinez to walk away.
But if that’s the case, city officials aren’t letting on. The split was “positive” and “respectful,” Mayor Elaine Holmes said. A city statement called him a “great asset” to the community. Further requests for comment have gone unanswered.
Stay tuned.