Mayor Ashley Swearengin announced that City Manager Mark Scott will resign to become City Manager of the City of Burbank. Scott’s last day at the City of Fresno will be Friday, July 19.
Mayor Swearengin also appointed Bruce Rudd, a 37-year City employee who currently serves as the City’s Assistant City Manager, as permanent City Manager, effective July 20. Rudd’s salary will be negotiated.
“Mark Scott has served as City Manager at a very unusual time – unusually challenging and unusually busy,” Mayor Swearengin said. “Under Mark’s leadership, our city has continued to aggressively deal with the fiscal crisis. He played a critical role in developing the Fiscal Sustainability Policy the Administration and the Council adopted last spring. And, thanks to his efforts, we are now on a path to pay off negative funds that threaten our City’s solvency.
“Mark has been a valuable contributor at City Hall, and we are sorry to be losing him as part of our team.”
Mayor Swearengin praised Scott for his efforts as Interim Planning Director, where he oversaw the revamping of the City’s code enforcement department and housing department, as well as the development of the City’s 2035 General Plan, the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan, and the Downtown Neighborhood Community Plan.
Scott also helped to roll out the red carpet and recruit businesses to Fresno and has worked closely with City Council and the City Attorney’s Office to move Fresno forward, Mayor Swearengin said.
Scott has served as City Manager since April 2010.
“I am privileged to have served in the Swearengin Administration, and it has been an honor to do so in my hometown,” Scott said. “We have been through very tough times in this organization, through which I have been comforted by being part of such a talented and caring team. We have all carried the burdens as graciously as possible, and throughout the organization, we all have made our sacrifices. I will always be a proud Fresnan, and Fresno will always have a central place in my heart.”
Scott said he and his wife lived and raised their children for 20 years about a mile from downtown Burbank, and his son still lives there.
In naming Rudd the new City Manager, Mayor Swearengin said he is known for his “problem solving capabilities, creativity and can-do attitude.”
“Bruce Rudd has never met a challenge that he doesn’t tackle head on,” Mayor Swearengin said. “He has developed great working relationships with City Council and City employees over the years. I am confident in his ability to deal with the day-to-day challenges of running the fifth-largest city in California and in his ability to work with other community leaders to keep improving our city for the benefit of its residents.”
Prior to becoming Assistant City Manager, Rudd has served as the City’s Director of Transportation, Information Services Officer, and currently serves as director of the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department (PARCS).
“I’m honored and humbled by this appointment and the confidence that Mayor Swearengin has in me,” Rudd said. “The last four years has, without doubt, been one of the most difficult chapters in the City’s history, but I am positive that we are now strategically positioned to collectively begin addressing a number of the challenges that face our organization and community.”