What inspired you to enter city management?
My interest
in cities began in college. Going from suburban Southern California to New York City, I was fascinated by how such a big, complex city operated and evolved. I became an urban studies major and then went to get my master’s in public policy with local government as my focus area. One of the career counselors in graduate school was a retired city manager from Northern California, and he encouraged me to look into city management. I interviewed with several city managers for a summer internship and was struck by how open, accessible and passionate they all were about the work they did in serving the community. I was hooked.
How did you become a city manager?
I often joke that I’m one of the few people I know who is in the job they went to school for! Out of graduate school, I was selected for the Management Assistant Program with the city of Long Beach. This was a fantastic opportunity to observe and engage with the city manager and executive team to get experience with several departments over the course of one year. I then became an analyst and worked on the implementation of a new financial system for the city. I enjoyed learning about the financial aspects of city government and moved on to be a budget analyst for the city of Sunnyvale. I was fortunate to have a wonderful mentor in the finance director, Mary Bradley, who is now a lifelong friend. I spent 18 years in Sunnyvale, eventually becoming the finance director when Mary retired. Sunnyvale, with its robust long-term planning and performance management system, was an incredible training for me, and I will always be a municipal finance nerd in my heart.
After six years as finance director, I began to think about my original goal of being a city Manager and started to look for opportunities. I found it challenging in Northern California, where I was known as a finance person, so I took a leap and moved my family down to Southern California to be the administrative services director for the City of Irvine. I was quickly promoted to the assistant city manager position, and then the city manager position for Newport Beach opened up. I was not sure about taking that next step up yet, but the outgoing city manager, Dave Kiff, encouraged me so I applied. I am grateful for his encouragement and the city council for selecting me because it has been the best professional experience of my life. The past four years have certainly had many hard and humbling moments, but it has also been incredibly rewarding. How lucky am I to be working everyday to make a positive impact on this unique and historic community and this organization of amazing employees.
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
What I enjoy most is that our role is about being a connector and a problem solver. We are the connection point between the city council, staff, community and other governmental agencies. Issues that cross departments, cities and agencies come to us. I love figuring out how to open up channels, bring different groups together to come up with solutions and clear obstacles so staff can work effectively.
What role does a city manager play in local government, and how do you feel it differs from that of a councilmember or mayor?
Each city has its own unique environment, but it is important for the city manager and council member/mayor to work as a team. As the leader of the organization, the city manager oversees the day-to-day operations and implements the policy set by the city council. While this is the textbook response and reality is often messier, I have found that adhering to this as much as possible and reminding council members (and myself!) of our lanes, makes for the best team.
What does your typical day look like?
For me, one of the best parts of being a city manager is that there is no typical day! Like most executives, there are lots of meetings and phone calls with a wide range of people. I’m in contact with the mayor and council members regularly—especially the days before council meetings, as I review the agenda with them. I’m engaged with different directors throughout the day depending on the hot issues we are grappling with. In a city as beautiful as Newport Beach, the best days are when I get the opportunity to get on our harbor, one of our beaches or visit one of our amenities: libraries, community centers, trails—the list goes on!
What city project are you most proud of?
Instead of a traditional physical facility or amenity, I’m going to show my financial nerd side and talk about tackling the unfunded pension liability. When I was the assistant finance director in Sunnyvale in the mid-2000’s, we grew alarmed at the funding schedules set by California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) that would not pay down the unfunded pension liability and the impact that would have on our long-term financial plan. I presented this issue to the city council, and we implemented a paydown plan focused on not pushing the liability into the future. I am proud that we were one of the early cities to address this issue, securing the long-term financial sustainability of the city.
What are the greatest challenges facing city managers in the state today?
One of the serious challenges is the declining trust in government at all levels and some of the ways it manifests. Combined with social media, reactions to an incident can blow up very quickly and negatively from the start. Addressing knee jerk emotions is challenging for city council and city staff; and when incidents happen frequently, it is also mentally difficult. This also plays into the challenges of recruiting and retaining high quality employees we need to take our place.
When and how do you interact with the residents of your city?
The residents of Newport Beach are engaged and not shy to let you know what they think! However, I have also found that they are generally willing to listen and are very invested in what’s best for the community. It’s a good combination. Many of my interactions are through email, public meetings and community events. Additionally, I provide a weekly city update that goes out electronically.
What inspired you to enter city management?
My interest in cities began in college. Going from suburban Southern California to New York City, I was fascinated by how such a big, complex city operated and evolved. I became an urban studies major and then went to get my master’s in public policy with local government as my focus area. One of the career counselors in graduate school was a retired city manager from Northern California, and he encouraged me to look into city management. I interviewed with several city managers for a summer internship and was struck by how open, accessible and passionate they all were about the work they did in serving the community. I was hooked.
How did you become a city manager?
I often joke that I’m one of the few people I know who is in the job they went to school for! Out of graduate school, I was selected for the Management Assistant Program with the city of Long Beach. This was a fantastic opportunity to observe and engage with the city manager and executive team to get experience with several departments over the course of one year. I then became an analyst and worked on the implementation of a new financial system for the city. I enjoyed learning about the financial aspects of city government and moved on to be a budget analyst for the city of Sunnyvale. I was fortunate to have a wonderful mentor in the finance director, Mary Bradley, who is now a lifelong friend. I spent 18 years in Sunnyvale, eventually becoming the finance director when Mary retired. Sunnyvale, with its robust long-term planning and performance management system, was an incredible training for me, and I will always be a municipal finance nerd in my heart.
After six years as finance director, I began to think about my original goal of being a city Manager and started to look for opportunities. I found it challenging in Northern California, where I was known as a finance person, so I took a leap and moved my family down to Southern California to be the administrative services director for the City of Irvine. I was quickly promoted to the assistant city manager position, and then the city manager position for Newport Beach opened up. I was not sure about taking that next step up yet, but the outgoing city manager, Dave Kiff, encouraged me so I applied. I am grateful for his encouragement and the city council for selecting me because it has been the best professional experience of my life. The past four years have certainly had many hard and humbling moments, but it has also been incredibly rewarding. How lucky am I to be working everyday to make a positive impact on this unique and historic community and this organization of amazing employees.
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
What I enjoy most is that our role is about being a connector and a problem solver. We are the connection point between the city council, staff, community and other governmental agencies. Issues that cross departments, cities and agencies come to us. I love figuring out how to open up channels, bring different groups together to come up with solutions and clear obstacles so staff can work effectively.
What role does a city manager play in local government, and how do you feel it differs from that of a councilmember or mayor?
Each city has its own unique environment, but it is important for the city manager and council member/mayor to work as a team. As the leader of the organization, the city manager oversees the day-to-day operations and implements the policy set by the city council. While this is the textbook response and reality is often messier, I have found that adhering to this as much as possible and reminding council members (and myself!) of our lanes, makes for the best team.
What does your typical day look like?
For me, one of the best parts of being a city manager is that there is no typical day! Like most executives, there are lots of meetings and phone calls with a wide range of people. I’m in contact with the mayor and council members regularly—especially the days before council meetings, as I review the agenda with them. I’m engaged with different directors throughout the day depending on the hot issues we are grappling with. In a city as beautiful as Newport Beach, the best days are when I get the opportunity to get on our harbor, one of our beaches or visit one of our amenities: libraries, community centers, trails—the list goes on!
What city project are you most proud of?
Instead of a traditional physical facility or amenity, I’m going to show my financial nerd side and talk about tackling the unfunded pension liability. When I was the assistant finance director in Sunnyvale in the mid-2000’s, we grew alarmed at the funding schedules set by California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) that would not pay down the unfunded pension liability and the impact that would have on our long-term financial plan. I presented this issue to the city council, and we implemented a paydown plan focused on not pushing the liability into the future. I am proud that we were one of the early cities to address this issue, securing the long-term financial sustainability of the city.
What are the greatest challenges facing city managers in the state today?
One of the serious challenges is the declining trust in government at all levels and some of the ways it manifests. Combined with social media, reactions to an incident can blow up very quickly and negatively from the start. Addressing knee jerk emotions is challenging for city council and city staff; and when incidents happen frequently, it is also mentally difficult. This also plays into the challenges of recruiting and retaining high quality employees we need to take our place.
When and how do you interact with the residents of your city?
The residents of Newport Beach are engaged and not shy to let you know what they think! However, I have also found that they are generally willing to listen and are very invested in what’s best for the community. It’s a good combination. Many of my interactions are through email, public meetings and community events. Additionally, I provide a weekly city update that goes out electronically.
What is the role of a city manager in upholding the public’s trust in local government?
As the leader of the organization, city managers are critical to upholding the public’s trust in local government. We must hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards—not only in our professional life but also in our personal life. We are public-facing, representing our city and local government employees. It’s an important responsibility, and one that impacts our immediate family as well.
How are cities shaping the future of California?
Cities are on the frontlines of many pressing issues in California: homelessness, affordable housing and climate impacts to name a few. These are significant and complex issues that require a myriad of resources and partners—and that’s what we do best. Local government has always been collaborative with each other, sharing ideas. One of the best parts of being a city manager in California is the network and support we provide for one another.
As the leader of the organization, city managers are critical to upholding the public’s trust in local government. We must hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards—not only in our professional life but also in our personal life. We are public-facing, representing our city and local government employees. It’s an important responsibility, and one that impacts our immediate family as well.