Pasadena’s New City Manager Should be ‘Someone Local,’ Say Residents

“Hire someone local,” was the message from a small but vocal group of citizens at the first of two community meetings to discuss Pasadena’s hiring of a new city manager to replace Michael Beck, who left at the end of January to take a new position at UCLA.

The meeting, held at the Jackie Robinson Center, was led by executive recruiter Bob Murray, of Bob Murray and Associates, the company hired by the city to find Beck’s replacement.

“This is the first phase in our search,” said Pasadena Human Resources Director Jennifer Curtis. “We are putting together what the community thinks is important in this new position.”

Following the community meetings, the community comments will be incorporated in to an official job announcement for job candidates, “sometime in mid-April,” said Curtis.

Along with the necessity to hire someone who lives in the city of Pasadena (although state law prohibits that from being a requirement), community members also bemoaned what they said was the “lack of communication” from the city, a point that was repeatedly conveyed residents in attendance.

“ I only found out about this meeting 20 minutes ago,” said one resident. Another resident asked why the website announcement was not also in Spanish.

“The City has done a poor job of communicating. The communication level of this city is not good,” said resident Howie Zechner.

Landscape contractor and community activist Porfirio Frausto noted that the new manager should work closely with the City’s assets, citing the Rose Bowl as an example.

“There are so many jobs there, and so much opportunity there,” he said.

Another resident, Victoria Dominguez, stressed that the new candidate should not only live locally, but be “knowledgeable and experienced and open to new ideas.”

“It should be someone who can challenge the old ways,” she added.

Curtis responded to the comments about the lack of communication, and responded to criticism of the meeting times and dates.

“We tried a variety of options,” she said. “And we know that not everyone’s schedules are the same.”

The next meeting will be held at Villa Park on Tuesday, March 8, at noon.