And then there were three ... An in-depth look at the finalists for Lodi city manager: Donna Landeros By Jennifer Pearson Bonnett Donna Landeros is a smart manager with a strong personality. Some say her no-nonsense style is a key asset because she gets things done, and is a clear and direct communicator. Others feel it is a challenge because she can rub people the wrong way. Landeros, 56, is among three finalists for the Lodi city manager position. Chosen from a pool of 43, the others include Milpitas Assistant City Manager Blair King and Brian Nakamura, currently the public works director in Riverside. The new City Council could decide as soon as next week who will replace former City Manager Dixon Flynn. Landeros, who worked as Ventura's city manager for nine years before resigning in January, was earning $172,000 in that position. Prior to that, she worked as the county administrator for Yolo County from 1989-95 and as the deputy county administrator for Butte County from 1978-89. After being interviewed by three panels last month, she was apparently the top choice of both the professional and the City Council panels. She has been searching across the nation for the right job, for close to a year. In January, Landeros was offered the Vallejo city manager position, but decided against taking the job citing salary negotiation issues. She also made the cut for a Florida county administrator position where she was one of four finalists. Background, hobbies Since leaving her position with Ventura, she has been able to spend more time on her favorite hobbies: reading "junk fiction," gardening, cooking, snow skiing, hiking and bicycling, "only if it's flat." Landeros and her husband of 32 years, an elementary school teacher, also enjoy boating. They've always had a boat of some shape or size, she said, adding that when they lived in Northern California the watersport of choice was lake windsurfing.  Former Ventura City Manager Donna Landeros, who is one of three finalists for the same position in Lodi, appears relaxed after resigning earlier this year. (Photo courtesy of the Ventura County Star) They have one son, a 23-year-old art student who will graduate from the Pratt Institute in New York later this month. Landeros, who grew up in Santa Paula near Ventura, has a masters in public administration and a bachelor's in sociology, both from California State University, Los Angeles. She always knew she wanted to go into public service, she said, adding that it had to do with self value. "I'd do it all the same again. I love local government and never really wanted to be at the state level or the federal level. "I like the challenges and the rewards with getting things done." While she admits she's getting closer to retirement age, especially for a public employee, Landeros said she never plans to stop working. Instead, she will someday segway into working part time, perhaps on a contract basis. "If you love what you're doing, you want to do more of it. I think retirement is overrated," she said, adding that her father was still working at 79 when he died. "He was one of my role models." Landeros, a self-proclaimed dog lover, once helped raise a yellow Lab as a guide dog as a joint-effort for her son's high school project, even taking her to work on casual Fridays. She has also been an active volunteer in Ventura County service clubs, including the United Way, where she is currently on the local board and regional food banks. Land-use efforts, budget experience Some say her experience with land use and balancing budgets could help Lodi as it pursues a greenbelt and grapples with a budget deficit. While in Ventura, Landeros led community improvement efforts, including a new 100-acre sports park, swimming pools, golf course renovations, revitalizing the city's downtown and doubling the city library's operating hours. That project includes a new theater and parking garage. More than 1,500 residents participated in a comprehensive visioning process, which is being incorporated into the General Plan. She also helped make budget cuts without laying off employees when the city faced a $7 million shortfall for the current fiscal year. In Yolo County, there were layoffs and reassignments when the county hospital was closed under her tenure.  Dave Rosenberg Former Yolo County Supervisor Dave Rosenberg worked with Landeros when he was on the Davis City Council, from 1984 to 1996. "She had to be a tough guy, and do what had to be done when it came to budget cuts. She was a tough negotiator, probably the second best in the county." Now a Yolo County Superior Court Judge, Rosenberg said he was most impressed with Landeros' financial experience. She had to negotiate with the cities on tax-sharing agreements and land-use issues. "I believe her experience working in county government would serve her well working in city government." Former Ventura Mayor Ray Di Guilio, whose wife is from Stockton, is familiar with the greenbelt issues here. "As a city manager who's worked in that environment ... Donna was involved and had to deal with all those difficulties while keeping up the economic vitality of the community." Landeros, for example, brought in a new community development director with a background in economic development in areas where there are growth limits. Ventura voters in the 1990s passed an anti-growth initiative to preserve open space with urban growth boundaries. The city has grown less than 1 percent per year for about 10 years, Di Guilio said. The former city manager also assigned one of the assistant city managers the task of revitalizing one of the city's malls. More than $1 million went into the project, he said. Ventura is quite a bit larger than Lodi with 100,000 residents and 650 full-time City Hall employees. Its annual operating budget is $178 million.  John Monahan One of her biggest challenges there was helping move the homeless out of a river bottom and place them in jobs, Ventura Councilman John Monahan said. Landeros oversaw a pot of community development funds to attempt move the people to an appropriate site. "I would say she moved her team and the directed the policy the City Council wanted. That was the No. 1 priority of the council," Di Guilio said. "Donna understands when people give direction, she has to attempt to facilitate that the best that she can." Mutual agreement Landeros resigned from the city's top position at the beginning of this year, citing declining support among council members. They had voted unanimously six months earlier when she announced her resignation to provide a severance package equaling a full year's salary of $172,000 and a year's worth of life insurance. The city also agreed to make contributions to her pension plan for up to a year unless she gets another job before January. Council members, at the time, said they would be forced to pay the salary if they fired Landeros and she said she would resign only if she got the year's pay. Di Guilio called her departure a mutual agreement. "Her tenure was a successful tenure. What she brought in the mid-1990s was less well-received when the community changed (in the 2000s). She has a certain set of standards that don't change." "When she decided to tender her resignation, she still had a majority of support from the council ... but it looked like down the road the council would change a little bit and she would not be retained." Like Lodi, the city manager is an at-will employee who is appointed by the City Council. Di Guilio said the lucrative severance package was negotiated "many years ago," likely three years into her tenure. "She didn't ask for anything more than she was entitled," he said. Councilmen Monahan and Neal Andrews voted against Landeros' severance package. Still Monahan, one of the council members who hired Landeros, had positive things to say about her. "She is organized and gets things done." Monahan, who remembers being invited to the Landeros house for many a meal, has been on the council for 28 years and served with four city managers. "She was the right person at the right time. ... She would still be here now if she didn't want to leave." Landeros blames her departure on a changing of the guard; new council members had been elected and she understood they wanted to select their own city manager. In February 2003, only four council members gave her a good performance review; three others dissented, the Ventura County Star newspaper reported.  Carl Morehouse One of those, Carl Morehouse, now Ventura's deputy mayor, said Landeros has a "strong personality. If she finds the right community, she might make a great fit." He declined to elaborate on reasons for the poor review. "I felt I had a different management perspective." Those who know her best When asked for a list of professional and personal references, Landeros said former department heads could speak best for both categories. "They've been to my house. They know my family. I spent more time with them than any friends." Di Guilio, a longtime supporter, worked with Landeros during his entire six months on council. "She's very intelligent and bright, and articulate. She's a strong manager and understands government, and believes cities operate on policies not political favors," he said, adding that Landeros has a proven track record in agencies of different sizes. "It's also not easy being a female city manager in a male-dominated field. She rose to that challenge very well." Morehouse said she didn't get out and mingle with the public, instead remained somewhat "reserved." When it came to her public presence, Di Guilio said Landeros was cognizant of not stepping out in front of the elected officials. "She was appropriately visible, but did not get out in the community and be high profile. But that was her choice." Her biggest challenge, he said, was dealing with the community who only wanted to complain and "not hear the facts." With a management style that was "direct" and "held people accountable," some employees left when Landeros was hired, Di Guilio said. "I'm not sure another manager that came in would have done any different." But a journalist who covered Landeros for nearly five years described her as a "micro-manager." He also said she gave a good first impression, but once people got to know her, some didn't like working for her and left for other jobs.  Helen Thomson Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson, who worked with Landeros during her second and third terms on the county board, actually hired her. "We took a chance. It was her first administrator position." Thomson, a state assemblywoman from 1996-2002, had nothing but compliments for Landeros. "She's a very smart, capable, funny ... there aren't enough adjectives to describe her. She's a very good manager." She said Landeros left Yolo County to return to her hometown to take care of an ailing mother. Thomson ran into her a few months back when Landeros was inquiring about jobs in Yolo County. "I'd hire her in minute. Lucky Lodi," Thomson said, adding that Landeros works well with elected officials and city staff. "She generally works hard with department heads before (an issue) comes to the board. She will take us much time s you need, either individually or as a board, to explain things and even argue them, if necessary. "She's straightforward. You can't fool her." Contact reporter Jennifer Pearson Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com. |
