Sutter County Administrative Officer Scott Mitnick sat down with 93.3 FM on February 3, 2017 to discuss the major issues currently facing Sutter County.
To watch the interview click here.
Author: Ethan Kielty
Board Hires Scott Mitnick As New Sutter County CAO
On January 4th, 2017, Sutter County issued a formal news release announcing the appointment of Scott Mitnick to the County Administrative Officer role.
Following a lengthy strategic planning and recruitment process, Scott Mitnick, who managed the City of Thousand Oaks for 11 years and currently works as a senior investment banker with a public finance company in Los Angeles, was appointed County Administrative Officer of the County of Sutter.
The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday night to approve a contract with Mitnick, whose 27 years in senior leadership positions in local government include a three-year stint as the Assistant City Manager of Yuba City in the late 1990s. The new CAO reported to work on Wednesday.
“Scott’s knowledge, experience and professionalism will benefit Sutter County tremendously,” said Supervisor Dan Flores in recommending Mitnick’s hiring. “We were very impressed with his accomplishments and his directness, as were members of the citizen’s panel that interviewed him as part of the hiring process.”
“Scott has a solid grasp on public financing, budgeting, labor relations, relations with elected leadership, relations with the public, and on the concept of team building,” said Supervisor Jim Whiteaker, who joined Flores in making the recommendation to the full Board of Supervisors. “He helped a divided City Council in Thousand Oaks become stable, productive, and forward thinking. He sees the big picture and that is what you need in a CAO.”
Scott Mitnick, Thousand Oaks – Meet Your City Manager
In March 2012, Thousand Oaks City Manager Scott Mitnick was the subject of a video interview with the California City Management Foundation (CCMF) as part of their ‘Meet Your City Manager’ video series. These videos feature candid interviews with respected city managers from across California talking about the council-manager relationship, their favorite accomplishments as managers and their love for the profession.
“You’re in the center of the American democratic system and process. Whether you like it or not, you’re right there, you become the focal point. There’s never a dull moment. Every day is different. You’re a key, important part of the democratic system that many people take for granted. And there are those of us that are working behind the scenes to ensure that this system of democracy that people take for granted works smoothly day in and day out.” – Scott Mitnick, City Manager of Thousand Oaks.
City Manager of Thousand Oaks Mr. Scott Mitnick Paid a Goodwill Visit to Baheal Pharmaceutical Group
Mr. Scott Mitnick, City Manager of Thousand Oaks paid a goodwill visit to Baheal Health Science Park in Qingdao on May 6, 2014. Officials from Shibei district including Economic Development Director Yongjie Chi, Tourism Bureau Director Mr. Hongnian Zhu, and Deputy Chief of Commerce Ms. Liping Tan joined Mr. Mitnick as honored guests.
Mr. Gang Fu, President of Baheal Pharmaceutical Group and Mr. Ray Jiao, CEO of Tarcine BioMed, hosted the welcome reception at Baheal Health Science Park.
Cities Faced With Less Revenue Now, In The Future
In September 2012, the Thousand Oaks Acorn reported on Thousand Oaks City Manager Scott Mitnick’s contributions to the California Lutheran University Corporate Leaders Breakfast. Scott was frank in addressing the imminent challenges posed by lessening revenues and economic obstacles.
The dissolution of redevelopment agencies is just the latest financial obstacle facing California municipalities, Thousand Oaks City Manager Scott Mitnick told a panel of public finance experts last week at California Lutheran University.
“We’re getting hit from all angles in local government,” he said. “It’s not just the loss of redevelopment agencies. It’s the loss of transit funding . . . and other cuts. Our funding sources for traditional services are becoming less and less.”
Mitnick was one of three panelists at CLU’s Sept. 14 Corporate Leaders Breakfast at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
Mitnick: Good Governance Demands Vigilance
In September 2012, Thousand Oaks City Manager Scott Mitnick penned an op-ed piece for the Ventura County Star shining a light on mismanagement/ criminal conduct in several Los Angeles County cities. He then issued a call-to-action for California city governments to adhere to the highest level of ethics and managerial excellence.
For decades, California led the nation with more than 400 highly professional, ethical and transparent council-manager form of government cities.
Over the past few years, this form of government has experienced challenges in a few cities unparalleled in our state’s history. A series of articles have been written about what appears to be mismanagement and criminal conduct in a handful of southeast Los Angeles County cities. Those regarding the city of Cudahy are especially troubling.
While these articles represent a very small proportion all cities (less than 1 percent), they nevertheless reflect a serious failure of ethical and open local government.
The primary mission of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and its California affiliate (Cal-ICMA), is to promote professional, ethical and transparent local government.
An Education on Devolution
In March 2016, Scott Mitnick composed a piece for the International City/County Management Association’s (ICMA) Public Management magazine addressing the transfer of municipal services from national to local control in the UK and its dynamics moving forward.
Ryan Eggleston, township manager, South Fayette, Pennsylvania, and I were honored to represent ICMA at the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) Annual Summit held in Bournemouth, England, this past October. The main topic of the three-day event was devolution or the transfer of municipal services from national to local control.
What was interesting about learning of this major undertaking is how this topic has come full circle since I was a student at Bristol University more than two decades ago. The challenge going forward will be to what extent London will provide local government access to revenues needed to provide the services that are being pushed back to local authorities.
Fall 2012 Message from Cal-ICMA President Scott Mitnick: Good Governance Demands Vigilance
An excerpt from Scott Mitnick’s Fall 2012 Message as Cal-ICMA President:
“Back to school” season is a perfect time for professional development. The Cal-ICMA Board of Directors has been working diligently through the summer to provide you with a number of great training opportunities this fall.
- ICMA’s 98th Annual Conference is just around the corner. The conference will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center from October 7-10. California’s own Magda Gonzalez serves as Chair of the Conference Planning Committee. This year the conference will feature both career tracks for a variety of management levels as well as theme tracks. The League of California Cities/City Managers’ Department and Cal-ICMA will be hosting a state reception on Monday, October 8, at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown. Specific location and time will be listed on the conference agenda.
Spring 2012 Message from Cal-ICMA President Scott Mitnick: Adding Value to Membership
An excerpt from Scott Mitnick’s Spring 2012 Message as Cal-ICMA President:
The Cal-ICMA Executive Board has had a busy season including participation in an ICMA West Coast region leadership summit together with representatives from Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and representation on a key ICMA initiative to take a close look at the financing of the association. I want to share important information from these sessions as we promote Cal-ICMA and continue underscore the value of membership in ICMA.
In the coming months, Cal-ICMA will be ramping up efforts to support the Life, Well Run campaign to raise awareness of the many wonderful contributions professional managers make to local governments and communities. California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington ICMA representatives have pledged to raise $155,950 over the next five years. The West Coast leaders will be announcing this commitment at the ICMA Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, this October.
Three High-Ranking City Officials Have Proven Their Loyalty To Citizens
In 2009, Scott Mitnick and two of his senior associates received high praise from Thousand Oaks’ local newspaper publication the Thousand Oaks Acorn for formally refusing to accept pay raises in a year that the city posted declining revenue numbers.
