Suisun City names new city manager - former Pismo Beach city manager Suzanne Bragdon

By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Council tentatively agreed to hire former Pismo Beach city manager Suzanne Bragdon as the city's top executive Tuesday night.

The council and Bragdon still need to work out some final details to her contract, "but it is nothing that is insurmountable," Mayor Jim Spering said.

Councilmembers lauded Bragdon's educational background, managerial experience and her desire to make Suisun City a destination city.

"Ms. Bragdon's extensive knowledge of city operations, and her resourcefulness and attention to detail will definitely assure Suisun City of a steady march toward putting in place the infrastructures to generate the revenues needed to deliver basic services to the public," Vice Mayor Pete Sanchez said.

"We picked a good candidate and she will do wonders for the city," City Councilman Sam Derting said.

Bragdon, 46, is expected to start work here on Sept. 1 as the city manager/redevelopment agency director.

She is replacing interim City Manager David Martinez who held the job since Steve Baker stepped down in December 2004 to become city manager for the Central Valley town of Oakdale.

Councilmembers said they want the next city manager to be more of a redevelopment director than a traditional city manager in order to push the city's economic fortunes.

Martinez proved to be an able stand-in with his work getting the city's Main Street West redevelopment project off the ground earlier this year.

One of the new city manager's first duties will be what to do with four city positions presently filled with interim department heads - the community development director, the economic development director and assistant to the city manager and the finance director.

She will also face putting city finances on a solid footing and bring more economic development to the city.

One attribute that caught the council's eye was what councilmembers described as a proactive style in encouraging input from city staff and the community as well as creating workable solutions to tough problems.

Bragdon is moving here from Pismo Beach where she had served as city manager, and more recently, as an economic development consultant for the neighboring city of Grover Beach.

Prior to that, she was assistant city manager for Napa and spent 16 years with the firm of Ralph Anderson & Associates, a management consulting firm that worked for local governments.

Bragdon is married to artist Kirk Bragdon and has a 13-year-old daughter, Stephanie.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.