Seeking to bring some stability to its depleted leadership ranks, Palo Alto plans to promote three city employees early next month to fill the critical positions of utilities director, chief financial officer and community services director.
Pending the City Council's approval on May 6, the three positions would all be filled by existing employees who have either led or currently lead the respective departments on an interim basis.
Kiely Nose, who joined the city in October 2015 and who directs the Office of Management and Budget, is set to take over as chief financial officer, a position that she had been holding on an interim basis since July 2018. Nose, who has previously worked for the city of San Jose and for OpenGov, a software company focusing on government data, has been a key staff member in the City Council's budget adoption process.
The appointment of Nose was widely expected at City Hall. Over the past several years, she has worked closely with former Chief Financial Officer Lalo Perez on all major budget-related initiatives, including the city's plans to pay for infrastructure projects and its evaluation of a revenue measure for the November 2020 ballot.
According to a report from City Manager Ed Shikada, she has 10 years of experience and expertise in governmental budgeting and management practices. Her salary upon appointment will be $230,000.
Dean Batchelor, who currently serves as an interim Utilities Director, is set to take over the position on a permanent basis. A utilities veteran who had spent 15 years at PG&E and then worked for Alameda Municipal Power and Telecom, Batchelor joined Palo Alto about 10 years ago. He worked as assistant director under former Utilities Director Valerie Fong and took over as the department's chief operating officer in October 2016.
Batchelor became interim utilities director in January, about a month after Shikada became city manager. Before Shikada's appointment to the top job at City Hall, he held the dual roles of assistant city manager and head of utilities.
His salary upon appointment will be $268,225.
Kristen O'Kane, who was appointed to serve as director of the Community Services Department, is also taking over a department with which she is well familiar. O'Kane joined the city in 2015 as an assistant director of community services. She has also served as the department's chief operating officer since April 2018.
The department hasn't had a permanent director since May 2017, when then-director Rob de Geus was promoted to assistant city manager (he left his position earlier this year to take over as city manager at Westlake Village). Most recently, Library Director Monique leConge Ziesenhenne has been leading the department on an interim basis.
O'Kane will have a salary of $216,000 upon appointment.
The report points to these internal promotions as a "testament to the strong culture of professional development and succession planning in the Palo Alto workforce." All three executives led their departments on an interim level and each participated in an executive-development program that was hosted by former City Manager James Keene and Shikada. According to the report, the program is a 12-week series that includes "conversational leadership lessons, an executive book club, tactical skill building and personalized executive feedback, coaching and mentoring."
"These internal promotions will provide stability and leadership to the organization, as the Executive Leadership Team has experienced high turnover in the past year due to retirements, departures to private sector and other agencies," the report states.
The city is still recruiting for several other positions, including a new chief transportation officer and a fire chief. The former position remains vacant, while the latter is being filled by Deputy Chief Geo Blackshire on an interim basis.
Comments
Greenmeadow
on Apr 29, 2019 at 12:46 pm
on Apr 29, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Well I’m ecstatic to read that these directors will be paid so much. We’ve had a rueful lack of 6 figure salaries here in PA and it’s been in my prayers for years now. As a local shopper and crow mommy, hopefully these big city wages will finally trickle down to our least fortunate like the displaced, the minimum wagers & the startup janitor underclass. PAFA (Palo alto for all).
Ananda, Meg
Southgate
on Apr 29, 2019 at 6:22 pm
on Apr 29, 2019 at 6:22 pm
Really?
The average tech worker makes $122k
Tech workers:
* Average tech income: $122,242 (source: Web Link)
Web Link
"Silicon Valley's typical tech worker makes $122K per year — how salaries at giants like Google, Facebook, Cisco, Intel, Oracle, Salesforce and Netflix compare"
These city jobs pay over $200k. Really?
These positions pay extremely well...and the benefits are bankrupting the city...and us. Unfunded pension liability of $900 million, according to Eric Filseth's study.
Downtown North
on Apr 29, 2019 at 9:52 pm
on Apr 29, 2019 at 9:52 pm
The first two comments have it half right, imho. These are huge roles with huge consequences for Palo Altoans, and we need A+ talent and incentives to recruit competitively.
The problem here, and around City Hall more generally, is the lack of any meaningful Performance Management to move out folks who prove to NOT be worth their salary.
Please please Mr. Shikada, set a new standard for performance excellence, starting with leadership roles and cascading it on down.
Registered user
Downtown North
on Apr 30, 2019 at 10:48 am
Registered user
on Apr 30, 2019 at 10:48 am
Just my opinion...but I have attended almost all Finance Committee meetings for the past 18 months. In doing so I have been able to observe Ms. Nose and finance staff very closely. We all are fortunate to have her and her team.
The salaries are market driven. 2019 is not the time to be pennywise and pound foolish. The impact of vacancies and staff turnover are far more costly.
Downtown North
on Apr 30, 2019 at 10:48 am
on Apr 30, 2019 at 10:48 am
Well at least they are finally starting to establish a culture that hires from within rather than hire expensive executive search teams to scour the countryside to hire away from other cities. This usually seems to cost twice as much and the people either don't stay long or can't afford to move here.
I'd love to see a culture that hires young and trains to our standards and promotes from within. Along with the above stated goal from Sally to review and award compensation connected to achievement and ability not just the usual pass out raises every year per union contracts.
This is the kind of culture and leadership that I would like to see from out city manager.
Greenmeadow
on Apr 30, 2019 at 11:15 am
on Apr 30, 2019 at 11:15 am
Typical Palo Alto resident whining about "exorbitant" salaries. The same folks who believe teachers are overpaid. This is an expensive area to live in if you haven't grandfathered in years ago. Happy to see promotion of capable staff from within. These are all positions of high responsibility.
another community
on Apr 30, 2019 at 11:33 am
on Apr 30, 2019 at 11:33 am
With those salaries, it’s no wonder the City had to look internally. And I mean that since they are way too low—at least for the director of the Utility. Utility heads get paid much more elsewhere. Dean Batchelor is an operations expert and has little understanding of policy matters that the head of the Utility should have. Not that Ed Shikada had an appreciation of those things either. Sad....
Palo Verde
on Apr 30, 2019 at 5:03 pm
on Apr 30, 2019 at 5:03 pm
When they get ready to recruit for a new Transportation Chief, I hope they ask "How good are you at reconstructing Ross Road to be what it used to be"?
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on May 1, 2019 at 11:45 am
on May 1, 2019 at 11:45 am
Senior Blogger's onto something. Maybe the new transportation chief can get a deal trading in all the bollards around town that are doing more harm than good. I
t's amusing to drive see all the scarred and scraped paint on them to get a good idea of how useful they are. Also check the tire marks on those silly bulb0outs.
What a waste of money!