November
2008 | Bud Emerson
interviews Karen
Brust, City Manager
 |
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. |
