San Mateo chooses new city manager

Though Corbett will leverage his three years of experience with San Mateo in his new role, the 45-year-old is also expected to draw from previous experiences as Menlo Park’s finance director, an eight-year stretch with Sunnyvale’s finance department and five years as a project manager at Intel as he prepares to manage the city’s 700-employee operation.

“It’s exciting, it’s a big move,” he said. “This is certainly a great step for me to be able to take.”

For Corbett, the monthslong runway before his transition to city manager marks an opportunity for the entire city to make a smooth transition after Patterson’s 18-year tenure in San Mateo. Appointed to serve as the city’s interim city manager when Susan Loftus stepped down from the position in 2013 unanimously chosen by the council to serve in the role permanently in 2014, Patterson was previously director of Public Works for some 13 years.

Corbett acknowledged the large shoes Patterson left for him to fill, noting his leadership and relatable presence has been felt throughout the organization.

“I think Larry’s just an outstanding leader,” he said, noting Patterson never seemed to get rattled despite the stresses of the job. “Larry just seems to handle it in stride … I think it creates a degree of confidence and sort of a steadying hand for the organization.”

Corbett expected to focus on several major city initiatives that are just getting underway as he transitions into the leadership position. The city’s General Plan update process, overseeing a massive overhaul of the city’s wastewater treatment system and finalizing the consolidation of the San Mateo, Foster City and Belmont fire departments with the goal of making the agency operational by Jan. 1 are among the initiatives top of mind for Corbett.

Patterson said in a city press release that he feels more comfortable retiring knowing Corbett will carry on the tremendous progress made in San Mateo in recent years. He said previously the new city manager would have an opportunity to hire several department heads who are nearing retirement.

“We’ve recovered from the recession, we’re making substantial reinvestments in our infrastructure and we’re at a critical juncture where we get to plan for the future,” said Patterson in the release. “I am extremely confident Drew will build upon this success.”

Though the City Council announced Corbett’s appointment Wednesday, officials are still in the process of negotiating his salary. A regional analysis showed Patterson’s current annual salary of $255,938 was slightly below the average city manager compensation, according to the release.

Mayor Rick Bonilla said he is confident in Corbett’s ability to address future challenges given his wealth of professional experiences and engagement with the San Mateo community.

“We’ve chosen a new city manager who can hit the ground running and keep us moving forward,” said Bonilla in the release. “Drew has proven himself to be a skilled leader who’s in touch with our community’s culture and is experienced with our finances, staff and major projects.”

Corbett lives with his wife and 13-year-old daughter in San Jose, and said they look forward to the transition but his family will also have to adjust to the new role.

“I think they’re excited for me,” he said. “It’s a different role and one of the things that my family has talked about is making sure that we stay balanced.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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