Escondido Council Chooses Official From Marin County to Be the New City Manager

The Escondido City Council has hired the 42-year-old city manager of a small Marin County community to replace Vern Hazen, the city’s former chief administrator who resigned in January under pressure from council members.

Doug Clark, city manager of Larkspur, a town of 12,000, was the unanimous choice of the five council members, who often do not see eye to eye.

Mayor Doris Thurston made the announcement of Clark’s hiring at Wednesday night’s council meeting and Thursday commented that the new manager was “a very creative and personable” man.

Clark was chosen over six other finalists, a group that included three Escondido city staff members. He is expected to assume the post July 17, replacing acting city manager Ray Blair. Blair, former San Diego city manager, did not apply for the Escondido post.

$100,000 Annual Salary

The Escondido position carries a salary of $100,000 a year.

A native of Long Beach, Clark worked for 14 years for the city of Costa Mesa in Orange County, rising from assistant planner to development services director for the city of about 90,000. In l986, he became Larkspur city manager and finance director.

Thurston said Orange County officials who worked with Clark during his years at Costa Mesa described him as an “outstanding person and administrator.”

Each finalist was interviewed for two hours by the council, Thurston said, and Clark emerged as the unanimous choice. The mayor cited Clark’s financial experience as a factor in his selection over other qualified candidates.

Councilwoman Carla DeDominicis said Clark’s “tremendous broad base of experience” in government tipped the scales in his favor.

Team Leader and a Team Player

“He is a high-energy type of guy who will fit in well with the highly qualified city staff we already have here,” DeDominicis said. “He will be a good team leader as well as a team player.”

Clark received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in teaching from Whittier College and received a Rotary Foundation fellowship for a year’s graduate study in urban and regional studies at Birmingham University in England. He also studied public administration at Cal State Fullerton and received a certificate in effective management from USC.

Clark is married and has a son, Philip, who is 12.

In an interview Thursday, Clark said that he was aware of the split in growth philosophies among Escondido council members and had experienced “the same kind of planned growth debate” during his years at Costa Mesa.

Clark said he planned to “take some time to assess the situation” in Escondido, and would make “no pronouncements from the hip” until he had learned more about his new position.