Saturday, August 30, 2014

San Mateo, New Community Development Director, hello George White


Posted on Topix 8/29/14.  City of San Mateo Press Release, "City hires new Community Development Director." 

Jane Northrop - staff photoPlanning Director George White, left, with City Planner Lee Diaz
Pacifica Planning Director vacancy.
Goodbye George White...
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.  City of San Mateo Hires Pacifica’s Planning Director, George White as new Community Development Director.

San Mateo, CA (August 2014)… Following an extensive recruitment, the City of San Mateo announces that George White, Planning Director for the City of Pacifica will begin the next phase of his career as San Mateo’s Community Development Director.

White will begin his new role with San Mateo on September 22nd and brings 26-years of community development and planning experience to the position.   White is familiar with the Bay Area and in addition to Pacifica also worked for the cities of Saratoga, Palo Alto and Petaluma as well as the counties of Monterey and Calaveras."   Read more.

RelatedPacifica Tribune, 1/13/11. "New Planning Director hired." "After a three month recruitment process, the City Manager, Stephen A. Rhodes, is pleased to announce the hiring of George White as the city of Pacifica's next planning director. White will join the city's management team on Jan. 31. He fills the recent vacancy created when Michael Crabtree retired on Dec. 29."

 Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, Staff, 4/7/14. "New planning director takes the help in Pacifica." "While he's excited to come on board in Pacifica, he named the economy and the budget as the greatest challenges facing him."

Note photograph of Planning Director George White with City Planner Lee Diaz by Jane Northrop from the related 4/7/14 Pacifica Tribune article.   

Posted by Kathy Meeh

31 comments:

todd bray said...

A much better fit for all concerned. Best of luck George. It's high time we hire internally. Lee Diaz deserves his shot.

Anonymous said...

Todd

Being you said that I bet they are on the phone Tuesday morning with a consultant.

No griping about his salary and pension. Todd, you are slipping.

Anonymous said...

What a ridiculous statement!
Why does Diaz deserve a shot?
Because he's been here a long time or is next in line? This type of thinking is what keeps Pacifica down. (remember Ritzma ?)
If he is a qualified, creative and talented leader let him demonstrate that to the public and then he can be considered for this position.

Anonymous said...

1256 Ritzma? We should all remember Ritzma and the fact that she didn't get the CM job. Remember that instead of ancient history!! As for who runs the planning dept, what, pray tell, will be Ms. Nihart's pleasure? Might be on Ervin's watch, but we know who pulls those strings.

Anonymous said...

$4,000,000 missing from Pacifica.
This didn't happen overnight.
Ritzma needs to be subpoenaed along with her buddies on the Vreeland council.

sarcasm 101 said...

I don't agree with Todd on most things, but getting someone with the inside knowledge of Pacifica is better than bringing in an outsider who has to run up the learning curve. In my experience, Lee Diaz is a very personable fellow, always forthcoming with information, and eager to chat up, even when the secretaries say he's busy.

There are no major projects coming up, or in process, other than the Beach Blvd thing, which may never happen. From a professional standpoint, Pacifica is a dead end, only leading to a dearth of professional achievements, none or both. Cheerio to George White, San Mateo is a charming town of action for City Planners. I used to know a City Planner, he had a bumper sticker on his car that said, "Planners Do It Ahead of Time".

Anonymous said...

413 Not so fast bubbie. Don't put away that pad of subpoenas. Ritzma, Vree, Rhodes, Nihart, Stone. These are the people who have really run Pacifica in the last 10 years and they delighted in it. Let the investigation follow the information they provide. Add in Holmes and Lemon for the oldies but goodies, Tinfow to get the truth about "the reveal" and who on this council knew what and when. Slap one on Quick and the current contract attorney--expect attorney client privilege there. Get it all.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Winston Churchill say something like "if you find yourself walking through hell, keep walking"?
Best of luck to George White.

Anonymous said...

413 Thank god you're not a surgeon. You'd never cure anything with that superficial approach. I suspect you've got your reasons because if you really wanted to cut out the rot you'd look at more apples.

Anonymous said...

George got the Red Cross involved to get out of Pacifica. Refugee status.

Anonymous said...

It's a win for Pacifica, lookout San Mateo.

Anonymous said...

4:52

I noticed how Rhodes got the hell out of town right before the chit hit the fan.

For a guy who lived the city and wanted to stay for ever, he sure did a quick exit stage left!

Anonymous said...

Pacifica is a dead end, only leading to a dearth of professional achievements, none or both. Cheerio to George White, San Mateo is a charming town of action for City Planners. I used to know a City Planner, he had a bumper sticker on his car that said, "Planners Do It Ahead of Time".

It's more like "Bridge out, Road closed" and City council has the petal to the metal. Mary Ann is screaming faster faster and Mike says Floor it.

Anonymous said...

615 I love the typo "petal" to the metal. It's how I see those crazy kids. Crammed into a flower-bedecked bunny car. But what is it you're trying to say?

Anonymous said...

613 There have been several timely departures. And you know what happens to those people? They take the heat. No one who left could have acted alone in this charade that went on for 10 freaking years and through 2 regimes, including the present one.

Anonymous said...

413 The CM I'd want to talk to would be Joe Tanner. He was on duty from 2003 through 2006. Nothing went on in city hall w/out his knowledge. The man knew his stuff and he knew who the big dog was. He could get anything done. A wizard. I say that with admiration for his expertise. Ran afoul of the unions in Vallejo's bankruptcy and was cashed out. Joe may have started something in Pacifica that was perfectly ok at the time but got out of control as the years went on and every council kept spending money they didn't have. I don't think we've had a CM with that depth of experience since he left. Funny guy. Met him standing at the back of a council meeting while Scott Holmes was explaining to council why the state-of-the-art sewer plant reeked. Joe turned to me and quietly said "What? They didn't know shit stinks?" Yeah, still.

Anonymous said...

So Who is the new "Assistant City Manager"?

Anonymous said...

The Clown car loaded with city council members is going full speed right off the end of the pier.

Who cleans up the mess. The taxpayers always, always!!

So goes the city...

Anonymous said...

Anyone who says Joe Tanner was the best city manager we have had is crazy. He was one of the biggest slight of hand artists there ever was. The missing 4 million started under his and Maureen Lennon's watch. They moved money here and there to cover holes in the budget and then forgot to back fill with paperwork and plans. Maureen just started making noise when she did not get the city manager job.

Anonymous said...

You are so wrong.
The only reason Maureen Lennon is gone is because she was too clean for the dirty whores in charge at that time.

Anonymous said...

MEASURE V WAS AN UTTER FAILURE!

Anonymous said...

1:00

+1

The post of the day, no the week, no the month, no the post of the year!

Anonymous said...

1156 Pardon me, but your agenda's showing. Or do you actually suffer from profound reading and reality problems? No one on here said Tanner was the best CM we've ever had. Do you have any interest in the 4 million? The OP said Tanner could possibly shed light on the unaccounted 4 million because he was in charge at the start of the problem. You provide the best reason to talk to him when you refer to him as a "sleight of hand artist". A knowledgeable person would say he knew how to get things done. Entirely possible he set in motion an accounting process that went on unchecked after he was recruited away by embattled Vallejo. In other words, he taught us a trick that was safe and prudent in experienced, responsible hands, but dangerous when not. And then he left. Soon after, the finance director was pushed out and replaced by someone far less qualified. Chaos ensued, global recession, chaos. Today, the new CM is using the same trick, inter-fund lending, with the sewer fund. She's hiring more accounting staff. Bills have to be paid. Fingers crossed.
Your comment about Maureen Lemon is vile and you know it. Pure excrement.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who ever watched the interaction between Ms. Lemon and Jim Vreeland during council meetings knows why she was squeezed out and replaced by the underqualified Ritzma. Maureen wouldn't follow the script. She didn't do happy talk or go along when Vree answered her cold, hard facts with his best case scenarios. Not everyone on council was behind that change, but, just like today, every council has one or two dominant personalities and they direct the CM to carry out their agenda.

Anonymous said...

642 Barry Zito!

Anonymous said...

1110 Here's one for you, Fukushima!

Anonymous said...

Uh oh 131 is awake.

Anonymous said...

Ritzma had 3 things going for her in the battle for the consolidated Admin Services job 1) She was unqualified 2) She added council to the mgmt class of employees and the benefits that went with 3) the job consolidation was her idea

Anonymous said...

Ritzma was beyond compare in restoring cable and internet service on the fritz. She had the golden touch...she was a miracle worker.

Anonymous said...

Yes 251 she was all that and more, yet this council would not give her the CM job.

Anonymous said...

251 Yeah, but could she build a library after the voters said no? Tinfow did.