New City Administrator: Jason Stilwell, Assistant County Executive Officer/Budget Director, County of Santa Barbara

UPDATE: Assistant CEO Takes Carmel City Administrator Position
Jason Stilwell Credited with Helping Close Santa Barbara’s Budget Gap, Santa Barbara Independent, Thursday, September 15, 2011

ABSTRACT: The City Council selected Jason Stilwell, Assistant County Executive Officer/Budget Director, County of Santa Barbara, as the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea's new city administrator, according to reporting today in The Carmel Pine Cone. A contract between the City and Stilwell is to be on the 13 September 2011 City Council Agenda. On Jason Stilwell’s website, he states, as follows: “I am a public administrator supporting the profession of city management. My passion is the efficient and effective execution of governmental activities in the public interest as expressed by elected officials.” Resume, Professional Expertise and Research highlights are presented. Further information and links to his website are provided. An article, “The Ethical Foundation of Performance Management: Performance Management is Ethical Management,” is embedded. “This article highlights the intimate relationship among professional local government management, ethics, and performance measurement. Describes performance measurement as a practical tool to meet core ethical values—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Explores responsibilities resulting from these relationships.”

Jason Stilwell
"Respecting the profession of city management through practice, scholarship, and teaching"

“I am a public administrator supporting the profession of city management. My passion is the efficient and effective execution of governmental activities in the public interest as expressed by elected officials.”

Assistant County Executive Officer/Budget Director

County of Santa Barbara
105 E. Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
jstil@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
(805) 568-3400

Jason Stilwell
Post Office Box 91132 Santa Barbara CA, 93190
stilwelljason@hotmail.com

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
County of Santa Barbara, California
Assistant County Executive Officer
Serve as the primary assistant to the County Executive Officer in operating the County organization consisting of 23 departments, 4400 employees, and a budget of $900 million. Additional responsibilities include:
• Budget Director: Develop and control the County's annual budget organized into 115 separate funds with 233 capital projects; supervise the employees of the Budget and Research division of the County Executive Office;
• Financial Officer: coordinate Countywide financial issues including debt issuances and financial forecasting.

Director – Parks Department
This interim assignment demonstrated the confidence the elected officials and County Executive Officer had in me to direct a department of 85 employees with a budget of approximately $5 million. Primary accomplishments:
• Developed and implemented a departmental strategic plan; Recruited and retained a permanent Director;
• Assured a complex labor-centric organization operated efficiently and effectively and had the resources necessary to excel as expected by the public.

Project Manager – County Executive’s Office
A member of the County Executive’s management team involved in strategic planning and high profile special projects.
• Strategic Planning: financial analyses of annexations, overseeing performance management for the organization, developing a technology business plan for the entire County, identifying budget policies and practices;
• High Profile Projects: Coordinating annexations and community facilities districts; serving as intergovernmental liaison; coordinating analysis for a voter initiative to split the County; and managing a breadth of other high profile projects including tax negotiations, economic development, homeless programs, GIS implementation, and others.

Town of Superior, Colorado
Assistant Town Manager
Key staff person managing the fastest growing municipality in the U.S. during the 1990s (according to Census data).
As part of the management team, I managed all aspects of the municipality with the following accomplishments:
• Financial: managed a growing accounting and finance staff, implemented an automated accounting system, created an investment program, designed a long-range financial planning model, enhanced financial reporting;
• Budget: formulated budgets for the Town, Urban Renewal Authority, and Metropolitan Districts; negotiated annual law enforcement and other contracts; increased reserves to nearly 100% of annual expenditures;
• Planning: staffed Planning and Zoning Commission meetings; coordinated development operations; successfully negotiated retail, residential, and office development. Oversaw Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code updates;
• Districts: created districts including developing and managing service plans; gained control of a utility district which had been developer controlled; negotiated a dissolution and reorganization plan for two service districts;
• Other Successes: construction management of park and public work projects, implemented a retirement benefit program, revised the personnel manual, developed an urban renewal authority, and improved Town's revenue base.

EDUCATION
• University of Colorado at Denver. Graduate School of Public Affairs. Doctor of Philosophy. 2000.
Studies emphasize municipal management and law including municipal home rule.
• San Jose State University. Master of Public Administration. 1993.
• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), 1991.
• Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, California. Associate in Arts. 1989.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP
• International City Management Association (Credentialed, 10-year service award)
• Government Finance Officers' Association (Distinguished Budget Award Reviewer)
• American Political Science Association
• Treasurer, Central Coast Chapter, Municipal Management Assoc. of Southern California (MMASC)
• American Society for Public Administration
• Local Government Chapter of the American Bar Assc.
• ICMA Adjuncts (Practitioners Who Teach)

Practitioner Resume

Curriculum Vitae

Professional Expertise
MANAGEMENT EXPERTISE
Credentialed Manager - International City County Management Association (ICMA) BUDGET EXPERTISE
Budget Reviewer - Government Finance Officers Association's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Program

SPECIAL DISTRICT EXPERTISE
Fire protection districts: these single purpose special districts can be valuable tools for designating funding for fire protection services and can create an organizational structure that is single focused on quality fire services. I have worked in local governments that have had dependent fire protection districts (whereas the local government's and fire district's elected officials are the same), independent fire protection districts (where the community was served by a fire department separate from the community), and have transitioned from an in-house fire service to an independent special district (where the municipality essentially outsourced the fire protection services to a fire district).

Research
PUBLICATIONS
Ethical Foundation of Performance Measurement and Management Jason Stilwell

The Ethical Foundation of Performance Management: Performance Management is Ethical Management
With Michael F. Brown, “The Ethical Foundation of Performance Measurement and Management,” Public Management 87:5 (June 2005), 22-25.

This article highlights the intimate relationship among professional local government management, ethics, and performance measurement. Describes performance measurement as a practical tool to meet core ethical values—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Explores responsibilities resulting from these relationships.

ADDENDUM:
Council selects new city administrator, The Carmel Pine Cone September 2, 2011, 8A