Hello, Healdsburg! With just over two months under my belt as Healdsburg’s new city manager (and your newest neighbor), I’m happy to share that what I have learned about the community so far has been overwhelmingly positive and impressive. In the months to come, I plan to use this space to provide updates about the work of your city government. This month, however, it may be helpful to introduce myself and share some of my initial impressions of Healdsburg.
Before moving to town at the end of 2020, I spent almost two decades living in Alameda County and over 11 years working for the City of San Leandro, a community of 90,000 people, 440 employees and a budget of $190 million. I began my career in local government focusing on economic development. Over the years, I was also lucky to take on projects in finance, transportation, public art and broadband deployment.
It was never my goal to become a city manager, but the opportunity found me when the position became vacant in San Leandro. Likewise, I was not looking for a new job when I saw the opening in Healdsburg, but something about this opportunity drew me in. A little internet research led to a couple of day trips, and as I learned more about Healdsburg’s resilience, its close-knit community and the area’s natural beauty, I became more convinced that Healdsburg was worth serious consideration.
I ultimately decided that the opportunity to help lead Healdsburg was the next best step. Professionally, I’m able to work on a vast array of exciting projects. Personally, I couldn’t pass up a chance to live in a region that offers a world-class quality of life and a warm, welcoming community.
So far, my experience in Healdsburg has been everything I hoped for. I’m fortunate to work for a city council that cares deeply for the community, puts policy over politics, and works well together. The community is active and willing to embrace change when it will lead to positive results.
Lastly, your city staff is truly amazing. We don’t have a large team, but our people are talented, dedicated, and incredibly nimble. This all adds up to Healdsburg accomplishing more than a city of 12,000 has any business aspiring to.
Looking forward, we face some significant challenges and opportunities. Most urgently, we are tasked with getting through a pandemic that has devastated public health and the local economy and exposed systemic inequities that demand our attention.
But things will get better. As we gradually return to normal, we will continue to wrestle with challenges such as housing affordability, homelessness and climate change. But we will also deliver on some exciting projects including new and enhanced parks and public art.
Over the course of my career, I’ve come to believe that from chaos comes opportunity. Here’s hoping that we can someday look back on 2020 with the same sentiment.
In closing, I’d like to thank The Healdsburg Tribune for granting the city this space to connect with the community. As normal times return, I look forward to meeting many of you in person rather than on Zoom.
Jeff Kay is the Healdsburg City Manager.
