Carlsbad City Manager Kevin Crawford has announced the appointment of Scott Chadwick as chief operations officer, a position that oversees the city’s day to day administrative functions.
“Scott will be a tremendous resource to Carlsbad,” said Crawford. “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.”
“I can really only think of a handful of cities that would provide this kind of career opportunity,” said Chadwick. “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.”
Chadwick has served as chief operating officer 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. Chadwick has 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.
The City of Carlsbad has a “council-manager” form of government, which differs from San Diego’s “strong-mayor” set up in that the day to day operations of the city are directed by a city employee — the city manager. Under the strong mayor form of government, the elected mayor is given control over administrative decisions.
Carlsbad has 685 full time and 179 part time employees. The fiscal year 2017-18 budget is $311.6 million, and the city has a cash reserve of about $70 million.
Chadwick’s start date, salary and other employment details are still being finalized.
