Dave Anderson
The City Council Is Set To Approve Contract With A New Manager
Dave Anderson comes with a history of public service
Council says he's a good fit
By Kara Chalmers
Dave Anderson, who turned 48 on July 23, said he received a lovely birthday present. The Saratoga City Council hired him to be the next city manager, replacing Larry Perlin, whom the council asked to resign in January.
Anderson brings to Saratoga 20 years of experience working for and with local governments and an education in public service. His personality seems to fit with the council, according to council members.
"His low-key style is going to fit right in with the needs of Saratoga staff and Saratoga city," said Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith.
According to Mayor Stan Bogosian, the council unanimously voted for Anderson.
"Personality-wise he's a very amenable and likable person and he works well with people, which is a very positive and necessary attribute for a city manager," Bogosian said.
Councilman Evan Baker said he was delighted with the appointment. "I think he has all the right attributes to continue to move things forward, the things this city council is trying to do in the next five or 10 years," Baker said.
Anderson's salary will be $103,000 annually, which is up from the $99,000 that Perlin was paid. The contract also includes a bonus provision of up to $7,000 per year
based on performance. The council will determine the bonus amount after performance evaluations scheduled for January and July 2001. Anderson will receive the same health, dental and retirement benefits that other city employees receive.
For the last six years, Anderson has been the Assistant Town Manager in Danville, an East Bay city. There, he was responsible for economic development, personnel, information systems, special events, legislative advocacy and solid waste and recycling programs. He served as acting Town Manager on holidays and when the manager went on vacation for the month of August for five of his six years on staff.
"It was supposed to be the slow month but it never was," Anderson said, adding that assuming the Town Manager role had become second nature to him.
Anderson, who enjoys photography, genealogy, running and biking as hobbies, lives in Walnut Creek. He said he and his wife, Nita, are trying to find an apartment in Saratoga for them and their two dogs.
"My wife and I feel it's important to be part of the community you work for." He said living in or near Saratoga would help give him a sense of what the community is like.
Waltonsmith said the council felt that because Anderson worked in a city similar to Saratoga, he would be a good candidate. Bogosian agreed.
"He's had experience as an assistant city manager in a very similar city, which is Danville," Bogosian said. "He understands the dynamics of such a city really well." Interim City Manager Bill Norton added, "He showed he could work well in a community similar to this city."
Danville is similar to Saratoga in that it is an affluent, suburban city with a population of more than 40,000, and not a lot of commercial land.
"Both are communities where the quality of life is very high and the residents have high expectations of their local government in terms of customer service and responsiveness," Anderson said. "We have a downtown main street almost identical to the Village ... We have a need for playfields and other recreation facilities." Anderson said he already understands the values that people who live in communities such as Saratoga and Danville have.
"People essentially move to Danville because it has a small-town environment that is very high quality and safe and secure and is reminiscent of how it used to be," he said.
Norton said that Anderson's experience working in other cities as well as his ability to get along with the city officials in Danville were what set him apart from the other candidates. Saratoga's council members spoke to city officials in Danville, who gave Anderson very good references.
"He came very highly recommended as a good manager," Waltonsmith said, adding that according to officials in Danville, Anderson "walked on water."
In Danville, Anderson was the liaison between the city, the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce--which also serves the cities of Diablo, San Ramon, Alamo and Blackhawk--and local downtown merchants. His job was to keep the lines of communications between the town and the Danville merchants open, he said, and the two sides developed a very productive business relationship over the years. He also recruited businesses to the city and played an integral role in the refurbishment of the old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot that had languished for years.
"Now it's a landmark historic structure, really a centerpiece for downtown," Anderson said.
Anderson has also helped manage capital projects, experience that Norton said will prove useful to Anderson as Saratoga embarks on its library expansion and civic center project. Danville finished building a new library in 1996, which was a major project for community, Anderson said. He was a member of the community center and library construction management team, which was responsible for furnishings, equipment and technology.
Norton said Anderson is well-versed in computers, software and the Internet. In Danville, Anderson developed the town's first website and upgraded the town's computer and telecommunications systems. He said he enjoyed using his technology background to make information more accessible to the public. According to Norton, Saratoga is beginning to study putting some of its city operations on the Internet.
Anderson grew up in Everett, Wash., near Seattle, where his father was the mayor. He said his father inspired him to get involved in local government.
"He was a strong community leader and he had a lot of integrity," Anderson said. "He was an inspiration for me to serve the public."
While Anderson said he likes the mechanics, administration and implementation of government, he is not as interested in politics.
"I understand the politics and I enjoy being close to it, but I don't have a need to be out in front on the politics."
Anderson attended the University of Washington for two years, and then transferred to The Evergreen State College, in Olympia. He graduated in 1974 with bachelor of arts degree with a concentration in urban planning.
Anderson's first job was with the Washington State Department of Emergency Services. He authored the state's first post-civil defense natural disaster plan, which was used as the framework for the overall emergency response during the 1980 Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption.
He then worked as a consultant helping seven Oregon counties develop countywide 911 systems, in the days prior to state mandates for such systems. Anderson co-authored the Local 911 Coordinator's Handbook, which the state of Oregon published. The handbook, which the state distributed to local jurisdictions, is a model that local governments use to develop modern 911 systems.
After realizing he wanted to make local government his career, Anderson received his master's degree in public administration from the University of Washington in 1984. He was then hired as a management assistant in the City Manager's office in Lancaster, Calif., in the Mojave Desert.
There, he developed the city's first computer network and information systems function. He was the assistant project manager for a 36,000-square-foot addition to the city hall complex, and he initiated a 36-foot mobile command post that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office used.
After seven years in Lancaster, Anderson became the Assistant to the City Manager in San Jacinto, Calif. There, he was responsible for personnel, solid waste and recycling services, community center operations, budget development with the finance director, CDBG programs and public information programs.
In 1994, the San Jacinto City Council appointed Anderson to fill the remaining term of the city clerk when the elected city clerk resigned. In November 1994. After three years in San Jacinto, Anderson moved to Danville.
At its meeting on Aug. 2, the Saratoga City Council will vote on whether to accept the contract that Interim City Manager Bill Norton has drawn up and that Anderson has signed. Anderson's first day in Saratoga will be on Aug. 21. Norton's last day with the city will be Aug. 11. In the interim, the city will designate one of its department heads to be acting city manager. Before he leaves, Norton will spend time training Anderson for the new position.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
