The City of Clearlake will soon see if the third time”s the charm when it welcomes yet another city administrator. Dale Neiman will begin his employment as Interim City Administrator on Monday, Jan. 22.
Neiman is the third administrator to be introduced to Clearlake within the past year. Neiman”s contract with the city designates him as interim city administrator; however, he may be considered for permanent appointment following the completion of a background check and a salary study.
Neiman”s contract is the third agreement to be signed by the Clearlake City Council for the position of city administrator in the past year. Following the termination of David Lane in July 2005, the City Council entered into a rigorous recruitment process in search of a replacement. As a result, Robert Van Nort was obtained through the California League of Cities, for services as interim city administrator.
Recruitment of a permanent city administrator continued and on Thursday, Feb. 9, Kathy Kivley attended her first Clearlake City Council meeting as the city”s administrator. Kivley”s employment was terminated nine months later; Van Nort returned and the recruitment process began once again.
The Clearlake City Council interviewed three candidates for city administrator this time around. Mayor Judy Thein announced the council”s selection of Neiman during a Special Meeting held on Monday, Jan. 9.
Neiman brings with him a wealth of experience in city administration and management. He has an extensive background in a variety of areas including community development, finance, engineering, planning, land use, including development and consultation; governmental procedure, grant acquisition and other administrative knowledge.
Prior to working as a consultant in projects involving land use and redevelopment from July 2002 to present, Neiman had held the position of city manager in the California city of Fortuna for nearly nine years. In addition to serving as city manager, Neiman also served as city clerk, personnel officer, treasurer, executive director of the Fortuna Finance Authority and executive director of the Fortuna Public Improvement Corporation. He also served as the community development director.
Neiman has experience in initiating programs involving downtown revitalization, housing rehabilitation, economic improvement, abatement procedure, street lighting acquisition and several other community investment projects.
Neiman”s experience also stems from holding positions such as Planner II in Humboldt County; Senior Planner on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; and positions the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, Neiman was a Navy Seal with the United States Navy, from 1970 to 1974.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
