For 25 years, Jack Simpson served as City Manager or City Administrator for the cities of Hawaiian Gardens, Paramount and Bellflower. Read his monthly City Manager Newsletter on the Trackdown Management Service Web site.

The following is from his “Picking Up The Pieces” section of the January Edition Newsletter:

  • Calexico City Manager Victor Carrillo reported that city crews found no damage to bridges, buildings or roads following a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that rocked the U.S. – Mexico border region near Calexico of Wednesday (December 30, 2009).




  • Petaluma City Manager John Brown has received approval in concept from the City’s police and fire personnel for a compensation reduction plan amounting to about 3 percent of annual salaries in order to help address Petaluma’s multi-million dollar budget woes.

  • Jaime Fontes, 52, the City Manager of Nogales, Arizona is the new Santa Paula City Manager taking over from Public Works Director Cliff Finley, who has been serving as Interim City Manager since City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz left to become City Manager in Evanston, Illinois. Jaime is expected to start his new job in February.

  • Rohnert Park has begun a recruitment for a new City Manager. Assistant City Manager Dan Schwarz is the current Interim City Manager, and is interested in getting the permanent appointment. Dan took over from City Manager Steve Donley, who resigned to remain with the U.S. Coast Guard.

  • Long-time Mill Valley City Manager Anne Montgomery, who retired at the end of the year, has initially been replaced by Public Works Director Wayne Bush as Interim City Manager.

  • Former Advanced Planning Director Wayne Goldberg edged out Deputy City Manager Greg Scoles as Interim City Manager in Santa Rosa. Wayne will serve as the temporary replacement for City Manager Jeff Kolin, who has taken the Beverly Hills City Manager post.

  • Holtville City Manager Laura Fischer has worked out an agreement with the Imperial County Sheriff’s Department for contract law enforcement services effectively disbanding the Holtville Police Department with the objective to economize and provide the community with “better-than-or-equal-to” levels of service.

  • Modesto City Manager Greg Nyhoff has appointed Gloriette Beck Finance Director, and Dee Williams-Ridley Human Resources Director. Gloriette, a CPA, has been with Sacramento County for 15-years. Dee has served a little more than 15-years in human resources with San Mateo County. Both are graduates of California State University, Sacramento. Gloriette replaces Wayne Padilla who left to be the Assistant City Administrator in Chowchilla, and Dee takes the place of Robin Renwick who retired after 18-years of leading the department.

  • Calistoga City Manager James McCann and City Engineer Jim Smith have been working with the city’s contractor to save the community’s brand new public swimming pool from serious damage due to rising groundwater from winter rains. Empty during the final repair work on cracks, ground water can rise and “float” the pool out of the ground.

  • Lakeport in Lake County is currently between City Managers. In the meantime Chief of Police Kevin Burke is serving as Acting City Manager.

  • Founded in 1850, Antioch is one of the oldest towns in California.

  • Atascadero City Manager Wade McKinney was the recipient of the 2009 “Citizen of the Year” Award presented by the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce.

  • Former Desert Hot Springs City Manager Jerry Hanson has settled his “breach of contract” action with the city.

  • John Leonard, Board President of the Monterey County Aquatic Swim Team, has offered to take over the management of the new Salinas municipal pool, which is slated to be closed due to budget cuts. According to Leonard, the swim team take-over would save the city $350,000. Salinas City Manager Artie Fields said that any group seeking to take over the management of the pool will need to participate in a bidding process.

  • Veteran retired City Manager Lauren M. Wasserman is starting this month as the Interim Director of Water Utilities in Oceanside. Lauren started his career as an Intern in Long Beach before moving to Lakewood and then the San Dimas ACM post. He later served as City Manager in Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and Encinitas, among other assignments.

  • Highland, Utah City Administrator Damon B. “Barry” Edwards is a former City Manager in King City, Ridgecrest and Belmont.

  • Jack Anderson retired two plus years ago as the Assistant City Manager in Escondido following a local government career of 37-years. He continues to service as a labor relations consultant.

  • Kevin M. Tonoian, the TS Manager/Administrative Services in Santa Clarita, is a past President of MMASC (1998-99).

  • Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, who announced his retirement to be next March, will delay it for another year.

  • Assistant City Manager Penny Riley, a 21-year Poway employee, has been appointed Interim City Manager for the next year or so with City Manager Rod Gould leaving to accept the Santa Monica City Manager post.

  • Manhattan Beach City Manager Geoff Dolan has resigned his position after nearly 15-years on the job. Geoff came to Manhattan Beach in 1995 after serving as the City Manager in Longmont, Colorado for seven years.

  • Wade G. McKinney, Atascadero City Manager, is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED).


    For 25 of those years, Jack Simpson served as City Manager or City Administrator for the cities of Hawaiian Gardens, Paramount and Bellflower. Read his monthly City Manager Newsletter on the Trackdown Management Service Web site.

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