Trackdown Management’s City Manager newsletter: Volume No. 14: Issue No. 19
Former Vallejo Interim City Manager Anne Cardwell is the new Director of Finance in the City of Napa. She had originally been hired to serve as the Vallejo Assistant City Manager in 2018. Prior to that she served as the Assistant City Manager in the City of Martinez. She worked for the City of Benicia for 13-years in the City Manager’s Office and Human Resources. Anne earned a BA in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s in educational psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Clovis Assistant City Manager John Holt will replace City Manager Luke Serpa. John has worked for the City of Clovis for 21-years. He worked in various capacities, including City Clerk, and as a Management Analyst. Prior to joining the Clovis city staff, John was the Financial Services Manager for the City of Visalia for 5-years. He is a retired United States Navy Captain. John has lived in Clovis for more than 30-years. Luke will retire in December. He has served as Clovis City Manager since 2017, and has served on the city staff for 17-years. He was the Clovis Public Utilities Director.
Karena McGee Shackelford is the new City Manager in the City of Fremont. Karena has served as the Fremont Assistant City Manager for the past three years. She began her public service career working for the City of San Jose. Karena replaces City Manager Mark Danaj, 52, who resigned following his arrest in San Francisco for domestic battery. Karena earned a BA from San Jose State University and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California. She joined the Fremont staff in March 2006 as a Business Manager and worked her way up in the organization. She was appointed Assistant City Manager in September 2018.
Former Selma City Manager Teresa Gallavan is the new Assistant City Manager in the City of Palm Springs. Teresa served as the Selma City Manager for three years (2018-2021). She was the Interim City Manager in Lompoc in 2018. She previously served as the Lompoc Economic Development Director and Assistant City Manager (2011-2018). She will start her new job in Palm Springs in mid-November. Teresa earned a BA in Spanish from the University of California, Irvine, and an MBA from California State University, San Bernardino.
Los Altos Hills has a new City Manager in Peter Pirnejad, who takes over for City Manager Carl Cahill, 57, who is retiring. Carl first came to Los Altos Hills in 1999 as the city Planning Director. He has served as the City Manager for the past 15-years. Peter has an abbreviated tenure as City Manager in Foster City early in 2021. Prior to that he spent 2-years-plus as a Director of Community Development Strategy for a private company. He also served 9-months as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Napa. Peter was Palo Alto’s Director of Development Services from November 2012 and February 2018.
Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills is the new Chief of Police for the City of Palm Springs. The new chief was selected following an extensive nationwide executive search and a selection process that included significant local input. Andrew has worked as the Santa Cruz Chief since 2017. Prior to that, he served four years at the Chief of Police in Eureka. He began his law enforcement career in 1983 as a Police Officer with the San Diego Police Department.
Larry Imwalle is the new Homelessness Response Manager in the City of Santa Cruz. Larry has served as the Executive Director of the Action Council of Monterey County for the past 14-years. Larry will report to Santa Cruz Deputy City Manager Lee Butler.
Nine Artesia management employees have complained about Artesia City Manager William “Bill” Rawlings and contend that the City Manager is unfit to lead. Acting Assistant Finance Manager Karen Lee is quoted as saying that the City Manager has “…exhibited patterns of behavior that have led to our consensus that he is no longer fit to lead the city’s employees.” Bill was hired as City Manager in 2013 following the retirement of City Manager Maria Dadian. Before coming to Artesia, Bill served as the City Manager in the City of Menifee. He was the Deputy City Manager in the City of Vista from 2007 to 2011. Bill received a 30-year ICMA Service Award in 2018.
Retired Vallejo City Manager Dan Keen has served as a Senior ICMA Advisor since February 2018. He is also a Partner in a management consulting firm since February 2020. Dan previously served as City Manager in La Palma (July 1995-July 2000); Seaside (July 2000-August 2004); Novato (August 2004-August 2008); Concord (August 2008-February 2012); and Vallejo (March 2012- November 2017). Dan earned a BA from the Unversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an MPL in urban regional planning and an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC).
Norwalk Deputy City Manager Richard Rojas joined the city staff in January 2020, and previously worked in Compton as the Director of Community Development (July 2018 – November 2019). In June 2006 Richard went to work for the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments as a Regional Planner. In January 2008 he took a Planner position with the City of Henderson, Nevada. After a short stint with a private planning consultant firm, Robert became an Associate Planner for the City of Carson in March 2014. He was promoted to Senior Planner in July 2015, before he move to the Compton city staff. Richard earned a BA in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree in city and regional planning from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Former Fremont City Manager Mark Danaj was arrested for domestic battery and false imprisonment in San Francisco prior to submitting his resignation last month. A separation agreement does not address the arrest or any reason for the resignation. The San Francisco County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case citing a lack of evidence. Mark joined the Fremont staff in 2011 as Assistant City Manager. He left in 2014 to become the Manhattan Beach City Manager. He left Manhattan Beach in 2018, and became the Fremont City Manager in September 2018. Mary earned a BA from Marquette University and an MBA from the Medoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.
Sherri Conway is the new Assistant City Manager in the City of Rocklin, working with City Manager Aly Zimmermann. In 1990- 1998 Sherri was the President/Owner of an environmental consulting firm. In August 1998 she was hired as the Community Development Director for the Village of Lake Placid, New York. She came to California in May 2004 when she was appointed Planning Director in the City of Colfax. She left the Colfax post in January 2009. In June 2014 she became a Supervising Planner for the Placer County Community Development Resource Agency. In November 2015 Sherri was promoted to the position of Placer County Director of Economic Development. Sherri earned a BS from the State University of New York College, Plattsburgh, and an MS from Antioch University in New England.
Former Rocklin Assistant City Manager and Director of Economic and Community Development Marc Mondell is now the City Manager in the City of Tulare. He replaces City Manager Rob Hunt, who worked in various positions for Tulare over a period of 29-years. Marc comes to Tulare with 25-years of development experience in both the public and private sectors. He earned a Master’s degree from the Unversity of Florida. The Cities Association of Santa Clara County is an association of the 15 cities of the county. Since 1990, representatives from the 15 cities of Santa Clara County have been meeting monthly and collaborating on issues that affect each jurisdiction, striving to create a unified voice. The Santa Clara County cities include Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale.
Andi Jordan is the Executive Director and Los Gatos City Manager.
Laurel Prevetti is the Santa Clara County City Managers’ Association Representative.
SHORTS:
*Hanford City Manager Mario Cifuentez accompanied the Mayor on a visit to the Faraday Future’s manufacturing facility site in Hanford where the company will hire 50 new employees.
*Retired Pasadena City Manager Cynthia Kurtz, a past President of the City Managers’ Department of the League of California Cities, will serve as Interim City Manager in Pasadena when City Manager Steve Mermell retires in December.
*Lakewood City Manager Thaddeus McCormack, who previously served as the City Manager in Santa Fe Springs, has played a leadership role in the Gateway Cities Region, serving as the Chair of the City Managers Committee of the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA).
*Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
*Andy Nickerson of Trackdown Sponsor HdL Companies recently completed the restoration of a 1963 Ford Ranchero truck he drove when he was 16-years old.
*Wolf and Co. current business address is 560 East Commercial Street, Suite 16, Pomona, California 91767.
*Tripepi Smith Director Jennifer Fitzgerald attended the Texas Municipal League (TML) Annual Conference October 6-8, 2021.
*Huntington Beach City Manager Oliver Chi one of those with degrees from both UCLA and USC.
*Rocklin City Manager Aly Zimmermann worked early in her career for the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Reseach, and then as a Policy Analyst for the League of California Cities where she was the League’s CCMF coordinator.
*Mary Jane McLarney, was the Chief Finance Officer for the City of Temecula from January 1990 and January 1994 before becoming Assistant City Manager.
*Tina Friend, Coronado City Manager, is an avid runner.
*David R. Rowe, a 1962 graduate of the University of California, served as the City Manager in Daly City between August 1969 and June 1995.
*Former Red Bluff City Manager Martin Nichols left the city in 2012 to become the Chief Administrative Officer in Lassen County, and he left that position in December 2013.
*Clay J. Curtin, who previously had work assignments in Manhattan Beach (2009-2013) and West Covina (2006-2009), and is a past President of MMASC (2011-2012), is the Public Engagement Manager for the City of Menlo Park.
*Michael Webb has served as City Manager for the City of Davis since December 2017.
*Larry Kosmont, former City Manager and founder of the Kosmont Companies, is a member of the University of Pepperdine Graziadio Business School Board.
*Dan Buckshi is the City Manager for the City of Walnut Creek, and Teri Killgore is the Assistant City Manager.
*Bradbury City Manager Kevin Kearney, appointed in May 2017, previously served as a Senior Management Analyst is the City of Beverly Hills.
*Brett Whitehead, a Principal and CEO at Brandywine Homes, earned an MBA from Pepperdine University.
*Saint Helena City Manager since July 2017, Mark Prestwich, previously served as the City Manager in Nevada City.