Striplin is the new Mr. City Manager

Ken Striplin, 17 year veteran of the City, holding a BA, an MPA, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, was hired by the City Council yesterday evening as the new City Manager of Santa Clarita. A few emailed comments came in over night.

One reader says it makes sense:

Most cities only hope to have the financial stability and poll approval numbers of Santa Clarita. If a city can achieve these, why would they want to do a national search for a new city manager? Moving up Ken Striplin is the most logical move when you have a city that's so well run.

Another:

Know what I think? We're always hearing about how government should be run like a business. Well, this is how a business would have found a successor to a departing CEO. No public outreach necessary, just hire the best man for the job and announce it.

Heh. But democracy is supposed to be somewhat slow and deliberative, isn't it?

Another reader saw in the hiring of Striplin parralels to the Catholic church appointing new popes, except there was no white smoke over City Hall:

It's like an unbroken line of apostolic/executive succession from Caravalho to Pulskamp to Striplin. Did Catholic Frank Ferry lay his hands on Striplin too? 

Silly but the point stands. Caravalho was the first City Manager and his assistant was Pulskamp. Pulskamp became the second City manager and his assistant was Striplin. In the first 25 years of City hood, a dozen Councilmembers have come and gone, but each City manager has essentially groomed his successor. And the College of the Cardinals elected officials, save for Boydston, like it that way.

That's one way to guarantee continuity and help organizational stability, but it can also rub the voting public the wrong way. Like I Heart argued, Striplin may have been the best choice, but at least give the public the idea that it had some input in the process.

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