Saratoga News

Title shortened: Larry Perlin

City names Perlin manager

By Sarah Lombardo

Larry Perlin can now drop one word from his job title after the Saratoga City Council last week announced its decision to appoint him city manager. Perlin has been serving first as acting and then as interim city manager since early March, after then-manager Harry Peacock was ousted from his position after 12 years by a unanimous vote of the council.

Mayor Gillian Moran congratulated Perlin, saying that she was happy the city found "the right man for the job."

Vice Mayor Don Wolfe said that both Perlin and the city should be congratulated and stressed that Perlin's performance as city manager during the six months of budget hearings proved that he could do the job.

"If we could devise a test, and spend six months having candidates take that test, well, we've done that," Wolfe said, "and the one that was tested was Larry, and he came through with flying colors."

The council's agenda called for a vote on Perlin's contract, but the item was postponed and continued to the next City Council meeting on Nov. 19. Terms of Perlin's employment are still being worked out.

Perlin has been with the city for more than seven years, having come to Saratoga from a job with the city of Capitola. He began as the director of public works and was asked to fill in as city manager until the city could hire a permanent one, while also maintaining his job in public works.

During the reorganization, at which time almost seven positions were eliminated from the city's roster, Perlin became the city's community environment director while still serving as interim city manager. With his appointment, Perlin will wear only one hat within Saratoga City Hall, but the question of who, if anyone, will pick up the other hat has yet to be answered.

Perlin's appointment leaves a hole in the community environment department, one that now must be either filled or reorganized out of existence. The city also has to find a replacement for former administrative services director Thomas Fil, who resigned two weeks ago to take a job with the city of Belmont. An interim director, Deborah Larson, has been retained to fill in until a replacement is found.

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