Swindell named as finance director BY KEVIN HERRERA
By Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL — The city has a new money manager.
Effective Jan. 12, Carol Swindell, a former administrative services manager for the City of Walnut Creek in northern California, will become the new finance director for City Hall. She replaces Steve Stark, who accepted a similar position in Pasadena in September.
The 44-year-old Swindell will earn a salary of $159,000.
“Santa Monica is lucky to find someone with the range of financial skills and public sector experience that Carol offers and these attributes will greatly enhance our city’s fiscal position,”said City Manager Lamont Ewell, who made the selection following an extensive, nationwide search by Teri Black & Co.
“Further, her management style is oriented to collaboration and customer service,” Ewell added. “She is highly effective in training and motivating staff, and will ensure that the city organization is appropriately focused on sound financial practices, budget development and fiscal oversight so that the community is properly served.”
Swindell served in Walnut Creek for two years, overseeing a $97 million budget and supervising 30 employees. Prior to that, she had been director of financial services and chief financial officer for the City of Oceanside for three years, managing a $250 million budget and supervising a staff of 60.
Swindell has been credited with implementing major changes to Walnut Creek’s budget process, including changing from a 24-month budget to two 12-month budgets to improve control, and adding performance measures, Ewell said.
At Oceanside, she was responsible for development of a multi-year strategic plan to improve service delivery, as well as its first financial trends analysis and long-term financial plan as a framework for budget development.
“Santa Monica is a beautiful, vibrant and progressive community and its city government is recognized as one of the best in the country,” said Swindell. “I’m thrilled and honored to have been selected to become a member of the city team.”
Swindell will oversee a city budget of $458 million and a department with 53 employees.
From 1995 to 2001, Swindell was assistant manager for financial and management services for James City County, Virginia, where she was part of a team that developed a cash flow and investment model that increased the county’s investment return by 5 percent, as well as achieving an AA3 bond rating upgrade from Moody’s.
She served as director of finance for the City of Poquoson, Virginia, from 1988 to 1995, as internal auditor for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia, from 1987 to 1988, and as an auditor for Cooper & Lybrand in Newport News, Virginia, from 1986 to 1987.
Swindell holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and is a certified public accountant, internal auditor and public finance officer.
She will be coming aboard just as City Hall enters the first stages of preparing a new budget for the coming fiscal year. Among the challenges Swindell must face, aside from learning her way around town and finding a permanent residence, will be familiarizing herself with the city’s many revenue streams.
“I think the city is in fairly good shape financially,” Swindell said.
The daughter of a school teacher and former director of the library system in Hampton, Virginia, Swindell said she has always been interested in serving the public. Her father was in the Navy as was her husband.
“It’s very gratifying to be part of shaping the community and helping it move forward,” Swindell said. “I’ve always wanted to have a positive impact on the city where I live. There’s just something so rewarding about that.”
Swindell is married and has one daughter who lives in Huntington Beach and is plan-ning to be married soon.
“It will be very nice to be close to her and her new husband,” Swindell said.
After visiting Santa Monica over the weekend, Swindell said she can’t wait until she can settle in and enjoy the many amenities Santa Monica has to offer.
“There are so many cultural opportunities, great restaurants,” Swindell said. “I’m really looking forward to walking my dog along the boardwalk.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 20, 2006. Read the original PDF.