When Windsor incorporated 20 years ago, it inherited the
resources of the Windsor Water District including a young utility
manager named J. Matthew Mullan.
In the next two decades, the town would double in size, build
the county’s strongest school district and see Mullan evolve into
the county’s most senior Town Manager.
Mullan came to Windsor in December of 1989 after working for the
city of San Francisco for several years. While hired before
incorporation to manage utilities, he became the town’s first
assistant town manager, a position he held through incorporation,
the dot com bust and corresponding drop in property values, a
recall election and construction of the Town Green.
He said the time spent assisting other town managers helped him
acquire the community development skills that would help him
succeed in the top job. “When I describe community development I
mean it’s the nuts and bolts of a community,” he said.
As a newly incorporated Town, Mullan said he remembers some
early bumps in the road. “We didn’t have any files,” he said. “A
lot of it was learning on the job and the growing pains that came
with that.”
Perhaps the most severe hurdle for the new town was a recall
election following the 1996 election that Mullan describes as the
low point in his career. “That was a low point here because it
really divided the community,” he said. “Passions were running
high. It was pretty hard being staff people because you were caught
in the middle. We were still growing, we were still pretty new, we
were still trying to get our feet on the ground.”
Mullan weathered the recall election and became the interim town
manager after a new slow-growth majority on the town council chose
to replace then town manager Berton Wills.
“I was really happy to have the offer extended because I wasn’t
sure if I was going to get swept out the door with him,” said
Mullan
While the interim position offered Mullan a chance to develop,
he said he eventually withdrew from consideration for the full time
position as he felt he wasn’t ready at that time. “It wasn’t the
right time for me,” he said. “ My fear was that I would fail at
that, I would fail the council, fail the community, fail my family
and I’d wind up getting fired.”
The Town eventually hired Paul Berlant, who Mullan described as
a great boss and someone who was instrumental in furthering
Mullan’s career. After Berlant retired 4 years ago, Mullan was
ready to step up and assume the manager’s position. “The job is
everything I hoped it would be,” he said. “It’s never a predictable
day. The job and what you are able to accomplish is just
fantastic.”
Mayor and Windsor’s longest serving councilmember, Sam Salmon
said Mullan’s dedication to the Town has been exemplary. “He really
has been steadfast and we can always count on Matt to be there,” he
said. “He makes sure that he is there. He’s not one of these people
that disappears. You don’t have to look far to find him.”
Mullan said a big part of his success has been hiring good
people. “I try to hire people that bring strengths that maybe I
don’t have,” he said.
Salmon also praised Mullan’s hiring choices. “We’ve got great
staff and that’s a lot to do with the manager picking the staff
carefully and having the insight to know what kind of personnel
will work best in the town,” he said. “I know we have delightful
people and I’m told we have delightful people.”
Mullan said he tries to foster an environment of creative
problem solving that promotes innovative solutions, a philosophy
that has become more important as traditional solutions,
particularly in the financial arena, have died off. “I want (staff)
to imagine that there is no box. In this economic climate, we have
to find new ways to deliver services.”
Assistant Town Manager Christa Johnson said she appreciated the
freedom to pursue solutions. “What I really like about working with
him is he has a strong focus on the end result,” she said. “If you
make a little mistake, it’s not the end of the world to him.”
While the position of Town Manager carries a great deal of
authority, Mullan said his wife Rosanne keeps him grounded. “If I
say something, she will let me know that I might need to let a
little air out of my head to fit through the door,” he said.
Mullan said he has no immediate plans to retire, but when he
does leave, he said he wanted to be remembered for creating a
culture of fairness, a goal that seems achievable based on
Johnson’s estimation of his character.
“If somebody was asked to give him an adjective, I would say
he’s very fair,” she said. “And he fights for what’s the best deal
for the town.”
