October 11, 2021 8:57 am
by David White
To the Santa Monica Community – I’m starting my first day as your City Manager with great excitement.
In the past two weeks, my wife and I have traveled from Northern California and settled in to our new home and neighborhood. During this time we had the opportunity to reflect and immerse ourselves in this special place. From early morning runs across town to producing runs at Pico Farmers Market to last minute trips to Bob’s Market to get ingredients for dinner and meet so many nice and generous neighbors at the National Night Out, our introduction to Santa Monica filled our hearts.
I’m incredibly excited to work with the city council and take the time to meet residents, business and property owners, the various community organizations, dedicated volunteers, and members of our bards and commissions that make Santa Monica a community with strong bonds. and the great people who serve this community on a daily basis. As I look forward to getting to know you, here’s a little bit about me.
I was born and raised in Southern California. On my way home, I lived in Boston, Brooklyn, Berkeley, El Cerrito, and now Santa Monica. I’ve worked in both the private and public sectors. I’m married to my high school sweetheart and we have a daughter who has just started her sophomore year at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia (Go Jaguars!). I also have two dogs, am a vegan, love coffee, love to run early in the morning and enjoy music.
I am interested in local government and I am committed to excellence in public service. I respect this work and know that there is no higher calling. The talented City team that I’m joining now can be relied on every day to provide services and a resilient community to all the people who live, work and visit here. I respect and value the wisdom, passion and dedication of our city council and look forward to moving its priorities forward.
You may be wondering about my leadership style. I believe in and commit to a collaborative and inclusive approach to solving problems. When we work together and build strong partnerships that value each individual’s perspective, I feel confident that we will be successful.
When I get into this job right now, I know that the last year and a half has been tough. The pandemic was mentally and physically demanding and had dire financial consequences. In addition, I am sober about the fact that the city’s organization and level of service have been badly affected. We have important work to do to show a path forward to restoring service levels and to implement approaches to serve well the community with limited resources. Anything is possible and I am ready to get down to work.
As I kicked off this week with an important city council meeting tomorrow, and with time scheduled to tour facilities and meet a variety of stakeholders, I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in person. Please say hello and I am very much looking forward to doing the same. Hello Santa Monika!
Written by
David White
City manager
Categories
City Management, your town hall
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