South Pasadena Council Chooses New City Manager

In a closed session Wednesday night, South Pasadena officials voted to hire Sierra Madre City Administrator Sean Joyce as the new city manager.

Joyce, 33, who began his administrative career as an intern in Walnut in 1987, was one of 42 applicants vying to take the reigns next month from interim City Manager Linda Holmes, said Mayor Dorothy Cohen.

“We were looking for a strong city manager with a history of managing a city similar to South Pasadena,” Cohen said. “The council concurred, Mr. Joyce was the top choice.” Joyce has worked for three years as administrator in Sierra Madre, helping to turn around the city’s economy while maintaining its small-community integrity.

With a strong emphasis on preservation, Sierra Madre and South Pasadena have much in common, and his new post “is like stepping from one cloud to another,” Joyce said.

“There is a wealth of talent in South Pasadena,” he said. “And what I enjoy most about public service is working with a talented staff.”

South Pasadena officials had equally complimentary sentiments about the city’s new manager, who will be paid $95,000 annually.

“Mr. Joyce demonstrated a knowledge and understanding of our community’s unique attributes and character,” Cohen said. “He will be a strong leader in continuing the current programs and reorganization put in place by our interim city manager, Linda Holmes.”

Joyce, an Orange County resident, got his start under Holmes in Walnut. He became senior administrator there in 1990, and moved on to Sierra Madre that same year to accept an assistant administration job.

“I think this is an opportunity that sounds challenging,” said Joyce. “And it sounds as though it can be extremely rewarding.”