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Shirey hired as city manager
by Brandon Darnell, published on August 4, 2011 at 10:34 PM
Storyline: Local Government
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John Shirey will take the job as Sacramento’s newest city manager Sept. 1 after being confirmed by the City Council in an 8-1 vote in closed session Thursday night.
Mayor Kevin Johnson, who was the only “no” vote, said he and the council are “very excited” to have Shirey on board.
He added at a post-meeting press conference that he and the council unanimously agree that Shirey is an honest person and the proper amount of vetting was done before hiring him.
Shirey was called to the podium to make a few quick remarks during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
“To be able to assume the position of city manager is a great highlight for me in my life and my career,” Shirey said.
The details of the job agreement – including salary – were not available Thursday night and are expected to be released Monday and approved by the City Council Tuesday, according to city spokeswoman Amy Williams.
He will have a contract, which Johnson said will be the first time for a city manager in Sacramento, but details won’t be known until Monday or Tuesday.
Shirey most recently served as executive director of the California Redevelopment Association and also served as city manager for Cincinnati.
Johnson, who has expressed his dissatisfaction with the hiring process on his blog, saying he was disappointed with the number of candidates, praised Shirey’s experience at the local level in many cities, including Long Beach and Los Angeles.
When interviewed by The Sacramento Press two weeks ago, Shirey said that, if he got the job, fiscal responsibility and taking care of Sacramento’s budget would be his first priority.
Thursday night, he pledged to work with the City Council and mayor “in the most efficient and economical way possible.”
After the City Council meeting, Shirey said he sees the city already taking steps in the right direction, noting the Department of Utilities audit, which was also presented to the council Thursday night.
Johnson said the main priorities moving forward will be fixing the structural imbalance in the city budget, working with labor organizations and restructuring organizations within the city to be more efficient.
Shirey said he is looking to work with the mayor and council in its entirety, saying he doesn’t have his own agenda for the city.
“It’s not my agenda, it’s our agenda,” he said.
Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.
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That's the most important difference between Shirey and the mayor.
Last week Shirey was tossing around cliches like "dot the i and cross the t". Now this week we get to hear about how good this job will look on his next resume. Maybe the press is just selectively reporting the most inane of his comments. But I doubt it.
First item on Mr. Shirey's fiscal agenda should be the high salaries and perks he and other city members are getting at the taxpayer's dime.
My opinion....every council person who approved his outrageous salary in this economy should be FIRED!