CARLSBAD — The city announced Jan. 21 it hired Scott Chadwick to take over the day-to-day duties as its chief operations officer.
Chadwick spent the past several years as COO for the city of San Diego, but recently submitted his letter of resignation. Kris Michell will take over for Chadwick in San Diego, according to the Voice of San Diego.
His letter said his last day will be Feb. 21, although it could be much sooner. Regardless, Chadwick’s start date, salary and other employment details are still being finalized.
Chadwick has served as COO for the city of San Diego since 2013. During his tenure, Chadwick gained national recognition for using technology to improve service, increase transparency and boost community engagement, according to a press release from the city of Carlsbad.
He also won praise for accelerating the completion of major infrastructure improvements, including an ambitious five-year goal to repair 1,000 miles of streets, which is on track to finish a year ahead of schedule.
He began his career at the city of San Diego as a labor relations officer, eventually working his way up to human resources director in 2009. Prior to joining the city of San Diego, Chadwick served in the United States Army and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University.
Chadwick was previously the head of human resources under former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and interim COO under Mayor Bob Filner, before he resigned, according to the Voice of San Diego.
After Filner’s resignation, Chadwick was made COO permanently.
“I can really only think of a handful of cities that would provide this kind of career opportunity,” Chadwick said. “I’ve watched from afar as Carlsbad has grown into a major technology employment hub and regional player, all the while maintaining its natural beauty and small-town charm. There’s a reason Carlsbad is well known as one of the gems of the region, and I’m excited to be a part of its future.”
The city of Carlsbad has a “council-manager” form of government, which differs from San Diego’s “strong-mayor” setup as the day-to-day operations of the city are directed by a city employee — the city manager, which is Kevin Crawford. Under the strong mayor form of government, the elected mayor is given control over administrative decisions.
“Scott will be a tremendous resource to Carlsbad,” Crawford said. “Not only does he bring a wealth of experience, he is committed to investing in city employees and developing their talents so we can provide the very best service to our community.”
