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The Pleasanton City Council has picked a familiar face to be the next city manager — former community development director Girard "Gerry" Beaudin.
Beaudin, who led the city department responsible for planning, building permits, traffic engineering and code enforcement during 2015 to 2019, left Pleasanton 2-1/2 years ago to elevate to assistant city manager in Alameda.
The proposed employment contract with Beaudin, which calls for an annual salary of $280,000 and a start date of May 23, is pending final ratification by the council at Tuesday night's public meeting.
"The combination of Gerry's experience and expertise in city governance, combined with his knowledge of Pleasanton, makes him incredibly well qualified to serve as our city manager as he collaborates with the council and community to ensure our outstanding quality of life," Mayor Karla Brown said in a statement Thursday identifying Beaudin as the council's top choice.
The council and a consultant firm have been recruiting for a new permanent city manager since longtime headman Nelson Fialho stepped down Nov. 30 in retirement from public employment after leading Pleasanton's city administration for 17 years. Assistant city manager Brian Dolan has been working as interim city manager since December.
Pleasanton actually found itself hiring for a new city manager at roughly the same time as its neighbor to the east, Livermore. A successor for retiring Livermore City Manager Marc Roberts has yet to be identified.
Rising to the top during Pleasanton's search process, Beaudin is already versed in the city government's operations and local politics.
During his four years leading the Community Development Department, the Planning Commission and City Council addressed a range of notable projects and policy debates, including the Downtown Specific Plan update, Johnson Drive Economic Development Zone and associated Costco debates, Workday headquarters expansion and the Irby Ranch neighborhood.
At the staff level in Pleasanton, Beaudin also spearheaded the effort to enhance the city's customer service experience by streamlining the city's development review process.
"Mr. Beaudin has developed extensive experience working with elected and appointed officials, accompanied by an aptitude for forging community partnerships," Brown wrote in a staff report to the full council for Tuesday's meeting. "He is an astute manager with a reputation for implementing organizational projects with a focus on attracting and retaining talented staff."
His other experience during his 19-year career includes working as zoning administrator in the city of Mountain View, and before that worked in city planning with Los Altos, South San Francisco and his native Canada.
Beaudin holds a bachelor's degree with honors from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, as well as a master's degree in planning from the University of Toronto.
He is also a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. He is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a member of the International City/County Management Association.
Since joining Alameda as assistant city manager — the city's No. 2 administrative position — in August 2019, he led a variety of organizational initiatives, including Alameda's Climate Action and Resilience Plan, a pilot mobile crisis response unit, and a new waste, recycling and compost franchise agreement, according to Brown.
The Pleasanton City Council is scheduled to consider approving Beaudin's contract as part of its consent calendar at a regular meeting on Tuesday, which begins at 7 p.m.
The four-page employment agreement calls for Beaudin to receive an annual salary of $280,000, along with benefits such as health, dental and retirement medical insurance standard to the city's other management employees.
He would accrue vacation leave at a rate of 15 days per year, with a cap of 50 working days (400 hours), as well as 10 days of administrative leave annually and receiving five days of sick leave effective his first day on the job.
Beaudin could choose between a car allowance of $550 per month or using a vehicle furnished by the city — though he'd be responsible for paying for his own gas in either case — and he'll receive a city-issued cellphone and other technological equipment essential to his job. The city would pay for his professional membership dues in three organizations, the cost of attending professional conferences and an executive coach of his choosing.
He would be subject to an initial six-month performance review by the City Council and then annual evaluations every May thereafter.
