Santa Monica Assistant City Manager Elaine Polachek will assume the position of interim City Manager on Feb. 1, 2015 to fill the shoes left by Rod Gould who is retiring at the end of January.
The unanimous selection of Polachek was made during the closed session at Tuesday’s City Council meeting on Tuesday.
Mayor Kevin McKeown said the council chose Polachek for a number of reasons, including:
— her long history with Santa Monica
— her record of successful communication and collaboration with residents and the business community
— her admirable performance for years as Assistant City Manager
— her working relationships throughout City Hall and the City’s partners at the School District and Santa Monica College
“We have no doubt that Elaine will provide gracious leadership, experienced management, and deeply appreciated continuity and stability that will make our search for a new permanent City Manager easier for us,” McKeown said.
Polachek has more than 30 years of public administration experience in key positions for the City of Santa Monica including Operations Manager for the Santa Monica Pier, Director of Community Maintenance and Deputy City Manager, prior her current post as Assistant City Manager.
Polachek will hold the post until a new city manager is selected.
“I’m honored to be named interim City Manager and appreciate the opportunity to serve the City Council and the community in that capacity,” Polachek said. “Throughout my service to the city, I’ve been fortunate to form strong connections to people who care deeply about Santa Monica and I look forward to the months ahead.”
