The following is from his “Picking Up The Pieces” section of the March Issue newsletter:
Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge has submitted his resignation and plans to take a position in the private sector. His final day on the job will be March 12. Ray worked for Portland, Oregon for 25-years. He originally came to Sacramento under City Manager Bob Thomas.
Sacramento Assistant City Manager Gus Vina has been appointed Acting City Manager.
Members of the Pico Rivera City Council have unanimously voted to “release” City Manager Chuck Fuentes, according to City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman, as reported in the Whittier Daily News. A replacement or Interim City Manager has not been announced. Chuck first came to Pico Rivera as a consultant following the service of former City Manager Dennis Courtemarche.
Jaime Fontes, 52, is the new Santa Paula City Manager. Jaime is the former City Manager of Nogales, Arizona; and CEO for the Economic Development Authority of the Tohono O’Odham Nation, a recognized Arizona Indian tribe. Public Works Director Cliff Finley has been serving as the Interim City Manager since former City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz resigned in July to take the City Manager post in Evanston, Illinois.
On February 17, Palo Alto City Manager Jim Keene dealt with a good 10-hours with his city “unplugged” when an airplane crash brought down a major transmission tower disconnecting Palo Alto’s city-operated electric utility, and leaving 28,000 customers without power from morning to nightfall when PG&E was able to restore the electric feed.
Former Oakdale (2004-06) and Suisun City (1998-2004) City Manager Steve Baker, 52, has been selected to be the new Yreka City Manager. Steve has a BA from the University of California, Davis and an MPA from California State University, Hayward.
Former Lakewood Crime Prevention Manager Carol Flynn Jacoby has been appointed Assistant to the City Manager with City Manager Howard Chamber‘s Lakewood management team.
Sonora City Administrator Greg Applegate recently celebrated his 21st anniversary in his current position. After serving as a Recreation Supervisor in Merced between November, 1980 and 1984, he was appointed Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation in Dos Palos. In February, 1985, at the age of 27, he was appointed Dos Palos City Manager. He was recruited for the Sonora City Administrator post in December, 1989 at the age of 32 and is still there today.
Hanford City Manager Gary Misenhimer, 61, announced some time ago that he will retire in the Spring. Gary has been with Hanford for 21-years. He was the Public Works Director prior to being named City Manager in May, 2007 when City Manager Alan Christensen resigned while facing a criminal investigation for theft of public funds.
Urban Futures President Michael Busch has been retained by Indio to develop a city budget recovery plan to address deficits and to create sustainability.
A Long Beach native, who was a “Tail Gunner” who flew 50 World War II missions, and served as the Needles City Manager from 1978 to 1989 when he retired, Vernon Bailey passed away at the age of 85 on September 13, 2009 in Yuma, Arizona.
After serving as Chief Administrative Officer in Culver City for nine months, Mark Scott, 60, resigned to accept the City Manager position in Fresno. Mark had taken over in Culver City from Jerry Fulwood following Jerry’s retirement. Mark, a former Beverly Hills City Manager, is a Fresno native.
New Santa Monica City Manager Rod Gould was quoted as saying, “Prioritization is easy in Santa Monica because everything’s number one.”
Stockton Interim City Manager Kevin O’Rourke, through the assistance of an applied research class at the University of Pacific taught by Professor Qingwen Dong, is for the first time polling residents to learn what services are most valued by the community. The focus group survey will help the City of Stockton determine priorities when budget reductions are considered.
Santee City Manager Keith Till and Huron City Manager Jerry Forde enjoyed some good surf at the Cardiff Reef on the Wednesday morning prior to the League of California Cities City Managers’ Department meeting in Carlsbad.
Robert Wesley Nichols, former Fillmore City Manager, who was known to many as “Mr. Fillmore,” passed away last November 24 at the age of 88. Born October 19, 1921, Bob was a lifelong resident of Fillmore. He first worked for Fillmore as the Superintendent of Public Works in 1959 and was appointed City Manager in 1968. He served as City Manager until October, 1981.
Mark Deven, City Manager in Woodland, began his public management career as a Community Services Manager in Lakewood in 1981.
Happy Birthday to Randy Economy who recently turned 50.
Long Beach City Manager Pat West recently endured a one and a half hour closed session annual evaluation. It has been reported that the politically powerful Long Beach Police Department POA encouraged Council Members to dismiss the City Manager. POA President Steve James is disturbed because Pat went outside the department to appoint highly qualified Los Angeles Deputy Chief Jim McDonnell to the Long Beach Chief’s post, replacing former Chief Anthony Batts, who left Long Beach to become Chief in Oakland. 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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