Former City Councilman Lee Martinez is stepping down as community development director, a post he took over in January.

David Dobbins, who has served as deputy department director for years, has been tapped to take over, pending approval by the City Council.

Martinez, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, said in a statement:

"I'm grateful to have had this opportunity to work for Salt Lake City, but my heart has always been in activism and organizing, and frankly this position is more about budgeting and management, which I found frustrating. I want to thank Rocky for allowing me the opportunity to try it out. He's a great friend and a visionary leader."

Anderson said he was sad to see Martinez leave.

"I know Lee and I will work closely together, regardless of where either one of us works."

During Anderson's 2003 re-election campaign the mayor was criticized because so many of his employees had left City Hall. Challenger Frank Pignanelli maintained the high turnover rate among mayoral appointments in the first 3 1/2 years of Anderson's administration fostered distrust in city government.

According to Government Records Access Management Act requests, 24 of Anderson's own appointees left or were fired in that time frame. By comparison, only one of former Mayor Palmer DePaulis' appointees left or was fired, and only five of former Mayor Deedee Corradini's appointees left or were fired.

While Anderson agreed he had some high turnover early in his administration, he argued during the campaign that he now had a solid staff that was committed to the city.

Martinez is the sixth mayoral appointee to leave the city following the election. First Chief of Staff David Nimkin left and was replaced by Sam Guevara. Later, Community and Economic Development Director Alison Weyher left as Anderson restructured the department and brought in Martinez.

Both Guevara and Martinez are Hispanic and during the election Anderson was widely criticized by Pignanelli and various Hispanic groups for not having any Hispanics in his cabinet.

Two of Anderson's communications directors, Josh Ewing and Dave Jones, have left this year and the mayor's director of minority affairs, Archie Archuleta, also retired.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com