City Manager Gets Nod of Approval from Council

The mayor is often the public face of a city, the person many think is “in charge.”

But in a town that follows the “city manager-council” form of government, like Petaluma, it’s actually the city manager who runs the day-to-day operations.

He works with staff to figure out budgets, negotiates with labor groups and makes sure there is enough cash to keep parks and recreational centers open, streets cleaned and city staff paid.

It’s a difficult task, especially since 2008, when revenues have dropped off significantly, forcing the city to cut spending by more than 30 percent.

But according to council, it's a task current City Manager John Brown is doing well, steering Petaluma out of one of the worst economic crises in the past century and back into fiscal solvency.

On Monday, the council gave a unanimous vote of approval to Brown, extending his contract until 2019.

“John has done a good job of getting the city through some very difficult decisions over the past four years, decisions which are not yet behind us,” said Councilwoman Teresa Barrett.

Hiring Brown was a contentious decision for the council, with three people voting against it, including Barrett.

Monday's vote means Brown’s contract has been extended for another six years, with an annual salary of $208,000.

Brown, who is originally from Southern California, has had a three-decade career in municipal government. Before moving to Petaluma, he was a city administrator in Woodburn, Oregon and a city manager in Jackson, Calif., a small town near Lake Tahoe.