By Sheryl Hamlin
The November 6, 2019 Santa Paula City Council meeting was full of surprises.
First, the council announced that Dan Singer would be made the permanent City Manager. Recall that Mr. Singer had been the temporary Park and Rec Manager after Ed Mount’s retirement, then was the interim City Manage after Michael Rock’s departure.
In the City Manager Report, Mr. Singer announced that Ikani Taumoepeau would be leaving Santa Paula to take the City Manager job in Clayton California, a small, affluent suburb of Contra Costa County, California. Mr. Taumoepeau grew up in the Bay Area he said.
Like all California Cities, Clayton suffers from high cost of housing, but unlike other areas, the crime rate is low: Clayton Crime
Clayton had been running with an interim City Manager since July 2019: Interim City Manager
Tributes
During the closing minutes of the meeting the council paid tribute to Ikani Taumoepeau:
Council Member Sobel
He recalled that his proposal for using Measure T funds for an Assistant City Manager was considered “out of scope”, but he was glad they approved the use of these monies. Prior to his joining the council, the city was negative, but now the city has hope and Ikani Taumoepeau helped change the attitude of the city.
Council Member Juarez
Ikani Taumoepeau made rounds like former City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz. Ikani was everywhere, said Council Member Juarez, and will be missed.
Vice Mayor Araiza
The Thomas Fire bonded Ikani Taumoepeau while they were together for days at a time with Taumoepeau filming the event for history and was a calming influence. He will be missed.
Council Member Crosswhite
She could not say too much because she was overwhelmed with sadness. However, she tearfully said that Ikani Taumoepeau had a “servant’s heart” and could always be found setting up or cleaning up. The community appreciated him.
Mayor Garman
Recalling the first day of the Thomas Fire as Ikani Taumoepeau’s first day, he said that there was no official job description for the first 60 days. Concurring with Council Member Sobel, he said that Ikani Taumoepeau was an integral part of the upswing.
First Public Appearance
Read this article about Ikani Taumoepeau’s first public appearance: First Appearance at Council
For more information about author sheryl hamlin dot com
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