Officials see city’s change as a good thing
CITY HALL — Over here, it’s out with the old and in with the new.
After serving three years as Santa Monica’s financial guru, Steve Stark is relinquishing his post as director of finance to take a similar job with the city of Pasadena, becoming the latest high-ranking employee to leave City Hall in the last 12 months.
“It was a very hard decision to make after having worked in such a great city like Santa Monica, with an outstanding staff, an engaged City Council and a new city manager in Lamont Ewell, who I’m confident will be a great leader for Santa Monica,” Stark, a Texas native, said Tuesday as he began his daily commute home, a grueling, hour-and-a-half trip through traffic to Santa Clarita, where he once served as finance director.
“The commute was definitely one reason to leave, but it was really the opportunity to advance my career,” Stark, 55, added. “It just seemed like a great opportunity.”
Stark’s departure — he starts his new job Sept. 11 — marks another in a series of resignations and retirements that are changing the face of City Hall. They began early last year with the departure of Suzanne Frick, the former director of planning now in charge of development in Long Beach. She was followed by former City Manager Susan McCarthy, who retired in December 2005 after 24 years of service in Santa Monica government. Then came the announcement that Judy Franz, City Hall’s public information officer, was retiring as well, leaving another important position to fill.
And that’s not all. Just recently, Jeff Mathieu, former director of City Hall’s resource management department, left to become city manager of Big Bear, while Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts will be leaving this month after 15 years at the helm to become the head of law enforcement for Los Angeles World Airports.
“I don’t believe this was by design, but we are seeing somewhat of an exodus,” said City Councilman Ken Genser, who has served in public office for almost two decades, during which time he said he has never seen so many people leave within a year’s time. “I believe it’s more coincidence than anything else. That said, I’m still going to miss them and the work they’ve done for the city.”
McCarthy was eventually replaced by Ewell, who hired Eileen Fogarty to fill the void left by Frick’s absence. Mona Miyasato, acting human services director, was appointed to take over for Franz, who leaves next month.
That leaves open the posts of finance director, chief of police, and director of resource management, all of which represent key leadership positions in the city.
The finance director is in charge of preparing City Hall’s multi-million-dollar budgets each year, as well as keeping track of investments and protecting City Hall’s stellar bond rating. The director of resource management is responsible for overseeing airport operations, economic development and housing, while the chief of police maintains public safety.
Ewell said his first priority will be replacing Butts, a process that is currently underway, with Ewell hosting meetings with various neighborhood groups. Ewell said he is using input from residents and business owners to help him develop a candidate profile that an executive search firm will use as it hunts down potential successors.
As far as the other positions, Ewell said there are many employees who have the knowledge and the abilities to fill the void until permanent replacements are found.
“We are always going to miss people like Steve, Jeff and the chief, as well as Judy, but when you think about it, with the exception of Judy having an opportunity to enter into a new phase of her life (retirement) … others have gone on to larger organizations and opportunities,” Ewell said. “They’ve all received promotions in a way, and while we are happy for them, we are going to take advantage of the opportunity to continue to attract new talent and look at new opportunities in Santa Monica.
“Keep in mind that we have over 2,100 employees in this city, so those that have left represent only a small percentage,” Ewell added. “They’re talented people, no question, but with talented people you have to realize that there will be change. They will be moving on.”
To prepare for the inevitable, Ewell said city staff is looking at succession planning, where the focus will be placed on younger employees to prepare them for advancement.
“We’ll be looking at a little mixing and matching, promoting from within, as well as recruiting from outside,” Ewell said. “I feel we are in good stead.”
Turnover is common in large organizations such as city government, however not with the same intensity as in Santa Monica, said Mark Mallinger, Ph.D., a professor of applied behavioral science at the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.
“When you see a change in a (chief executive officer) you often see changes in organizational structure, as reporting relationships often shift with the new manager’s vision, which may be different than what was practiced before,” Mallinger said. “This may cause some, particularly those in positions of importance, to say, ‘I can no longer belong to this model,’ and they leave. And there’s always coincidence...”
Stark, Mathieu and Butts have all said publicly that their reasons for leaving are purely rooted in career advancement and the opportunity to tackle new challenges. For Stark, he will be in control of a larger budget, as well as be faced with revitalizing downtown Pasadena, rebuilding its aging infrastructure, and renovating the Rose Bowl.
For Mathieu, he was attracted to Big Bear and the chance to become a city manager. As for Butts, becoming chief of the airport police offered him the opportunity to make a greater impact on public safety.
Whatever the reasons, there are those who view the departures as a representation of the natural evolution of City Hall, which has seen many employees pass through its historic halls since its creation in 1938. The chance to bring in new blood should be seen as an opportunity, said John Warfel, a Bayside District Corp. board member, who helps make decisions about downtown Santa Monica’s business district.
“This is a very unique time in the city because we have a new city manager, who now has the opportunity to revitalize some of the departments,” Warfel said. “We also have a new superintendent of (the Santa Monica Malibu-Unified School District) and a new president of (Santa Monica College), so I think there is tremendous opportunity for change. I believe this is unprecedented. We won’t know the results of the changes for some time, but it does provide us a chance to change the face of the city’s bureaucracy.”
City Councilman Richard Bloom said residents need not worry about the turnover as he is confident Ewell and the other members of city staff will keep operations running smoothly.
“Our staff is very professional and very deep in terms of their commitment and talent, so much so that I really don’t have any concerns that we won’t be able to maintain the high level of services we provide,” Bloom said. “I think that is really a testament to the legacy of those leaving.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 16, 2006. Read the original PDF.