The Carlsbad City Council has voted to appoint Scott Chadwick as its next city manager effective Aug. 1, part of a succession plan recommended by current City Manager Kevin Crawford, who came out of city retirement in February 2016 to serve in the role.
“When I agreed to come back as city manager, it was with a very specific set of goals,” said Crawford, who served with the city’s Fire Department for 28 years, retiring as chief in 2014. “I wanted to help the city transition to a model that would be sustainable long into the future, including setting up the next generation of leaders, at all levels of the organization. Scott’s appointment is the final piece of that plan.”
The City Council met in closed session Thursday afternoon to discuss the appointment of the next city manager. Public employee appointment and negotiations are among a short list of topics the City Council may discuss in private. However, the contract will be finally approved at an upcoming “open session” of the City Council, June 12.
Chadwick joined the City of Carlsbad as chief operations officer in February, having spent the bulk of his career at the City of San Diego, most recently as chief operating officer. In both roles, Chadwick had the day to day responsibility for overseeing the provision of city services.
Crawford praised Chadwick’s people-focused approach as the foundation of effective leadership.
“I feel very honored and humbled by this appointment,” said Chadwick. “Now that I’ve had a chance to see Carlsbad from the inside, it’s very easy to understand why the city is considered one of the best managed in the region if not the state. The opportunities in Carlsbad are huge, and it’s exciting to be a part of this city’s future.”
Chadwick served as chief operating officer for the City of San Diego from 2013 to 2018. During his tenure, he gained national recognition for using technology to improve service, increase transparency and boost community engagement. Chadwick has also won praise for accelerating the completion of major infrastructure improvements, including an ambitious five-year goal to repair 1,000 miles of streets, which is on track to finish a year ahead of schedule.
He began his career at the City of San Diego as a labor relations officer, eventually working his way up to human resources director in 2009. Prior to joining the City of San Diego, Chadwick served in the United States Army and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University.
Carlsbad has 685 full time and 179 part time employees. The fiscal year 2017-18 budget is $311.6 million, and the city has a cash reserve of about $88 million.
Chadwick’s salary and other employment details will be included in the final contract.
