Hermosa Beach selects new city manager
The City Council has selected Tom Bakaly, who is currently running a resort town in Utah, to become the new city manager.
The City Council is expected to officially hire Bakaly, 48, as city manager at Tuesday’s council meeting. Bakaly would begin as Hermosa Beach city manager in early September.
The city council reviewed 76 applications but only interviewed four of the candidates. The recruiting agency hired by the city conducted a nationwide search and presented the council with nine candidates. Bakaly, the former budget director for the city of Pasadena, would take over for interim City Manager John Jalili. Jalili was appointed to the position in March after Steve Burrell retired following 18 years on the job.
“I am very excited by the prospect of returning to Southern California and having the opportunity to work with the City Council, the city staff and the people of Hermosa Beach,” Bakaly said in a city-issued press release. “My family and I already love Hermosa Beach, and we are looking forward to living there and being a part of the community. If hired as city manager, my goal would be to encourage even more community engagement and to help Hermosa Beach achieve its greatest potential as the region and the nation emerge from the current economic downturn.”
The City Council will be voting to hire Bakaly on Tuesday, including setting his salary. His proposed base salary would be $185,000, with up to a 7 percent performance bonus, a $25,000 lump sum to relocate to the Hermosa Beach area, and $8,000 a year in deferred compensation, according to the city manager employment agreement the council will vote on.
Bakaly, who grew up in Pasadena, has been the city manager for Park City, Utah since 2002. He oversees a $45 million budget and a staff of 200 full-time city workers.
Park City has a population of 7,558, according to the 2010 census, and is located 32 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Park City helped host the 2002 Winter Olympics, and also hosts the Sundance Film Festival. The population of Park City grows to about 35,000 during the peak tourist season.
Bakaly focused on economic development, including the construction of two five-star hotels in Park City over the past ten years, said the press release.
Park City considers itself to be the “best run resort town in the country,” according to the city’s website. Bakaly originally went to work for Park City in 1995, and has worked as finance manager, assistant city manager and acting city manager. He has 23 years of experience working within local governments.
“We had a number of outstanding and highly qualified applicants, and everyone agreed that Tom was a standout candidate who will be the right fit for leading Hermosa Beach,” said Hermosa Beach Mayor Jeff Duclos in the press release. “He has a strong financial, planning and leadership background. Park City is similar in many ways to Hermosa Beach, providing him with the experience of working in a dynamic small-town atmosphere that is also a major tourist attraction. He has all of the skills sets needed for the many opportunities and challenges Hermosa Beach will face in the years ahead. We look forward to working with him to make The Best Little Beach City even better.”
Hermosa Beach and Park City share similarities as small municipalities that swell in size for holidays and events, Duclos said, and Bakaly’s knowledge of Southern California strengthened his candidacy. Bakaly was formally interviewed earlier in the year and brought back for informal interviews last week, Duclos said.
Bakaly majored in history at The Colorado College and earned a masters degree in public administration from the University of Southern California, with a specialization in public financial management. Bakaly worked for seven years for the city of Pasadena.
Bakaly is married to his wife Pam, and they have a teenage son Henry. Bakaly is an avid skier, fly fisherman and cribbage player, according to the Park City website.