Mayor Alice Patino is pleased to announce that David W. Rowlands is the City’s next City Manager. He was unanimously appointed by the City Council, which will publicly review his employment agreement at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, October 1st. His scheduled first day of employment will be November 30th.
Mr. Rowlands will be Santa Maria’s first City Manager hired from outside the organization in about 60 years. He succeeds Alex Posada, who served as the Interim City Manager since September 2023, and who will return to resume his duties as Director of the Recreation and Parks Department.
“The City of Santa Maria welcomes Mr. Rowlands and looks forward to the expertise and perspectives he will bring to navigate the path forward for the organization and this expanding community,” Mayor Patino said.
“This is a new opportunity for us, as due to retirements, this is the first time since the early 1960s that the City Council has not appointed a new City Manager from within City ranks and instead undertaken a national recruitment.
“He already is learning about Santa Maria, has met our Department Directors, and he knows we need creative ways to maintain the level of quality service the community has come to expect.”
Mr. Rowlands is an experienced city manager with experience in finance, economic development, labor negotiations, and more. He is the City Manager of Fillmore in Ventura County, appointed to that position in August 2013. Since his arrival that City has received numerous budgeting awards, landed its first business in the Business Park, and lead the City of Fillmore’s efforts to improve its financial position.
“I have the experience and leadership to guide the future of Santa Maria,” Mr. Rowlands said.
Prior to Fillmore, Mr. Rowlands was the City Manager in Clayton, Ohio for 13 years. While in Clayton he increased the city’s reserve fund from $500,000 to over $3 million and led the effort to locate Caterpillar Logistics Distribution Center to Clayton, Ohio; employing over 600 people.
Mr. Rowlands has served in leadership capacities and received several awards. He served as the Ohio City/County Managers Association President and Vice-President, served on the International City/County Management Association International Committee, and in addition he was a Dayton Business Journal 40 Under 40 and Best Places To Work Award Winner.
California is his home state. He is a third-generation city manager. Mr. Rowlands was granted a Bachelor of Arts from California Lutheran University and a Masters of Public Administration from California State University Stanislaus.
The Santa Maria City Manager serves as the chief executive officer and is responsible for coordinating and oversight of the activities and operations of the City’s 10 operating departments, including approximately 700 employees, and an overall budget of $291.4 million. He directs administrative services of departments, prepares annual budgets, hires department directors, advises and assists the City Council, and networks with civic leaders to improve the community’s overall quality of life.
Questions may be directed to the City Manager’s Office, Public Information Manager at (805) 925-0951 ext. 2372.