Trackdown Management’s City Manager Newsletter: Volume No. 20: Issue No. 12
For over 15 years, Jack Simpson’s Trackdown Management has published the City Manager Newsletter. Jack is a retired city manager and former Willdan executive. His newsletter content weaves together the personal side of the profession in California and helps keep the city manager community, especially retired city managers, connected with each other.
Picking up the Pieces
Since November 2021, Todd Juhasz has served as the city manager of the City of Mount Shasta. He previously worked as the Dunsmuir city manager starting in August 2019 until he joined the Mount Shasta city staff. Todd is a United State Air Force veteran. He earned a BS in chemistry & microbiology from the University of Buffalo, an MLA from the University of New York (SUNY), and an MPA from Syracuse University. Todd has been dealing with the issues surrounding the proposed establishment of a data center at the former Crystal Geyser bottling plant near Mount Shasta in unincorporated Siskiyou County.
Thomas G. “Tom” Mauk (October 21, 1943-June 8, 2024), who passed away of Saturday, June 8, 2024, at the age of 80, served 19 years as the city manager for the city of Whittier (1980- 1999). He previously served as the Norco city manager (1976-1980). He began his public service career in 1967 with the Los Angeles city staff and he was assistant city manager in Montclair from 1970 to 1976. After leaving Whittier in 1999, Tom worked as city manager for La Habra (1999-2002). He worked a couple years as a consultant (2002-2004), before he was hired as the county executive officer (CEO) for Orange County in October 2004. After Tom resigned from Orange County in 2012, he worked for a private engineering company as director of business development. Tom received a rare 40 Year ICMA Service Award in 2009. Tom was the 1996-1997 president of the city managers’ department of the League of California Cities.
Gillian Haen is the new city manager for the City of Chico. Her start date in Chico is July 27. Chief of Police Billy Aldridge was another candidate for the position. Vallejo city council member Helen-Marie Gordon, address the Chico city council on Zoom, as she worked with Gillian for seven years and confirmed the Gillian is a dedicated and experienced public servant. She has served as assistant city manager for Vallejo since April 2022. She was an Operations Manager for a private engineering firm in Healdsburg (2018-2019), after she had served as Director of Planning & Development for an Indians Tribe in Rohnert Park. Gillain was the City Planner for Santa Rosa (2005-2012) and an Associate Planner for San Joaquin County (2003-2005). She earned a BA from California State University, Sacramento.
Auburn City Manager Sean Rabé resigned his position to accept an appointment to serve as the assistant chief executive officer (CEO) for Placer County. His last day with the city was July 7. Sean began his city manager tenure in Auburn in April 2023. He previously served as the Town Manager for Loomis (2017-2023), Town Manager in Colma (2014-2017), and City Manager in Sutter Creek (2010-2014). Sean earned a BA from California State University, Sacramento and an MPP from California State University, Northridge.
Effective January 2026, John Craig became the Morro Bay city manager. John previously worked as the Deputy County Manager for Los Alamos County in New Mexico, and Director of General Services for the city of Albuquerque. John was Assistant County Administrative Officer for Mono County, California from December 2020 to October 2022. He earned a BS in psychology from Belmont University and an MPA from Columbia SIPA. He started his working career in May 1998 as a Senior Analyst for Moody’s Investors Service. Morro Bay Mayor Carla Wixom welcomed John to his first California city manager’s job.
Former Tulare County Supervisor who currently serves as the city manager for the city of Lindsay, Kuyler Crocker, has been dealing with refuse disposal issues of late. Kuyler was appointed Lindsay city manager in September 2025, after working as Interim City Manager from March 2025 to September. It appears that Caglia Environmental and the city of Porterville have considered privatizing waste management services in Porterville. Kuyler was contacted for advice. Porterville City Manager Richard Tree confirms that should his city consider an RFP for services, the process will be a fair, competitive and transparent process.
Craig R. Nealis, who grew up in Menlo Park, California where his father, Jack, was a medical doctor, served as the City Manager for the City of Rolling Hills from August 1990 until his tragic death on September 30, 2006. Craig joined the city staff in Bellflower in March 1984. He started in Bellflower as an Administrative Assistant, and he was promoted to Deputy City Administrator in the mid-1980s. He was 31 years old when he went to Rolling Hills. He was highly knowledgeable about firearms and was extremely good at target shooting. Craig and his wife Alice and their son and daughter lived in Yorba Linda. Craig earned a BA from the University of Nevada, Reno and an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC). At the time of his death, many in the community thought of Craig as “Mr. Rolling Hills,” as then Mayor B. Allen Lay said.
South San Francisco Public Works Director Eunejune Kim has a new Deputy Public Works Director as Alex Henry has been promoted. Alex succeeds Dave Bockhaus, who has retired. Alex began his career with the city as a Public Works Maintenance Worker before advancing to Craftsworker, where he developed hands-on experience in the construction, maintenance, and repair of City facilities and infrastructure.
Starting on May First, Courtney Christy is the new Assistant City Manager for Nevada City, California. Previously, Courtney served as the Deputy City Manager for the city of Stockton. She joins city manager Carrie Wright, who also has prior work experience with the city of Stockton. Courtney joined the Stockton city staff in 2017 as a Program Specialist.
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Shorts:
- Dr. John Murphy was approved to become the next Turlock city manager after he was terminated in 2022 as the Palmdale city manager.
- Morro Bay Mayor Carla Wixom is the owner of Carla’s Country Kitchen and Gift Shop in Morro Bay, famous for its hearty breakfast and lunch comfort food and welcoming country-style atmosphere.
- Yes, there is a Gun Barrel City in Henderson County, Texas, on the eastern shore of Cedar Creek Lake, where Steven Norwood has been appointed Interim City Manager.
- James C. “Jim” Gilley retired following a 20- year career as Lancaster city manager, and he relocated to Henderson, Nevada in the Las Vegas area.
- Julia Sylva, who is a graduate of Loyola Law School and a successful attorney, was 21 years old when she was selected to be the Mayor of Hawaiian Gardens in 1977, making her, at the time, the youngest Mayor in the United States.
- Sharon L. Landers, who served as the city of Carson’s first female city manager from May 2019 to March 2022, is the General Manager of the Rossmoor Community Services District (RCSD) in Orange County.
- Former Porterville Director of Transportation, Richard Tree is the city manager for the city of Porterville, starting as “Interim” in May 2025 and hired as city manager in October 2025.
- Ellen Schroer is the Interim City Manager in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and has been serving there since the second retirement of City Manager Blair King in March, who previously retired as Coronado city manager.
- Lawrence “Todd” T. Hileman, who served as the city manager for Palm Desert (2021-2025), his first city job in California, is the currently city manager for the city of South Pasadena.