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November
2008 | Bud Emerson interviews
Karen Brust, City Manager
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Karen
Brust, Del Mar
City Manager |
Emerson: Now
that you have been in
the job for 10 months,
can you cite two or
three things that have
surprised or confirmed
what you thought the
job would bring?
Brust: My
surprise has been in the willingness
of our residents to share their
talents and roll their sleeves
up to help us work on critical
issues for the City which confirms
my
belief
coming into the job
that the community is
passionate about our
City. I
had heard that input
was important in making
decisions in the City
and what I have learned
is that
process
is in fact vital to
move the City forward
positively and effectively.
Emerson: The
City has experienced a number
of staff personnel changes this
year – are
you cleaning house?
Brust: Changes
with a new manager are normal
and should be expected. Del
Mar not only lost their City Manager,
but several months before they
lost their Assistant City
Manager
who had both been in
office for more than
fourteen years. It is
true that our Executive
Team has gone through
a period of change this
year and together we
are working through
those changes and building
a highly achieving team.
Emerson: Are
more personnel changes likely? Can
you make a general comment on
the ability of the Del Mar staffers?
Brust: The
Del Mar Executive Team is solid. I
feel very fortunate leading such
a talented, dedicated, and caring
team of quality individuals who
truly want to serve the community. One
of my leadership strategies is
developing an organization-wide
succession plan that will promote
the professional development and
growth of our up-and-comers in
order to ensure that the City
is developing its leadership for
the future. The
Cityʼs
Executive Team will have some
retirement-eligible employees
in the next few years so it is
incumbent upon me to be proactive
in planning for the future. Some
of the benefits of a succession
plan are the sharing of institutional
knowledge which grows the effectiveness
of our Team, and it is a proven
retention strategy. I
believe that the development of
City staff is a very important
factor in ensuring the future
success of our organization.
Emerson: What
influences in your life affect
the way you approach the job?
Brust: My
parents, especially my father,
were very influential in building
my character as a contributing
member of society. I
have dedicated my entire career
to public service
because
I believe in it and
I love to help others. Later
on in my career, one
of my greatest mentors
was the City Manager
in New London, CT who
was a very effective
leader. I
really admired how he
would go above and beyond. When
it would snow, he and
his children would go
out early in the morning
helping to shovel out
those who were unable
to do so for themselves. To
me, this was commitment;
this was a public servant
who demonstrated his
leadership by his actions,
which underscored his
values.
Emerson: What
do you see as the core values
of the Del Mar community? How
do they square with your core
values?
Brust: I
see Del Mar Community’s
core values as honoring the City’s
past as it looks to its future. The
overlying principles that have
endured and that the community
has come to expect are reflected
in an open and participatory local
government, in protecting the
environment, in preserving Del
Mar’s
village ambience and character
and its history. I
see
a community that is
brought together and
sometimes divided by
their love for their
community and the passion
they feel in upholding
its core values. I
too believe in good
government and have
served the public with
strong customer service
skills for over 20 years
achieving results by
being inclusive, transparent
and respectful of others. My
core
values are honesty,
integrity, ethics, open
communication, continuous
improvement, customer
satisfaction, being
environmentally conscious,
hard working and working
together to achieve
results. I
see Del Mar’s
values as being very
much in concert with
my own values, which
is a significant reason
why I wanted to be Del
Mar’s
City Manager.
Emerson: How
can commercial revitalization
be achieved while minimizing adverse
impacts in nearby neighborhoods?
Brust: Commercial
revitalization can be achieved
with minimum impacts to our residents
by ensuring that the stakeholders
are included in the decision-making,
and then carried out with an underlying
legal structure in our Community
Plan, zoning regulations and a
downtown specific plan. The
key is in balancing revitalization
goals for economic vitality
as
it relates to supporting
essential city services
and never losing sight
of the vision of the
Del Mar that residents
want to live in.
Emerson: How
will traffic and noise
concerns of nearby residents
be factored into the
planning process?
Brust: Traffic
and noise concerns
are two of the
environmental
impacts that
will be studied
and to the greatest
extent possible
mitigated in
order to protect
our nearby residents. As
we proceed with
Downtown Revitalization,
an Environmental
Impact Report
will examine
these issues
in detail.
Emerson: What
are you doing
to open channels
of communication
with citizen
leaders?
Brust: I
have and continue to attend many
of the citizen committee meetings,
the Del Mar non-profit Board meetings,
and Del Mar fundraising and community
events. I
actively
participated
in meeting with our
community through the
Community Conversations
Program in which I was
able to meet many citizen
leaders at approximately
20 homes and businesses. Now
I am looking to develop
more one-on-one channels
of communication through
individual meetings
with citizen leaders. I
hope to tap into the
collective wisdom of
the community as a resource
as the City moves forward.
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