Cambridge is hiring a new City Manager!



Our current City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is retiring in early July of this year, and the City of Cambridge is seeking to hire a new City Manager, with an expected hiring date of June 2022.



The City Manager controls the budget and implements the city's policies and ordinances. Their daily decisions impact us all. Because the City Manager affects all residents in Cambridge, it was important that we heard from you during our robust community engagement process in January and February. During those two months, we engaged residents, stakeholders and employees through this website, focus groups and Town Hall meetings to find out what the community wanted to see in the next City Manager. This feedback was incorporated into a Leadership Profile, posted here."



Click here to learn more!



Who is the City Manager?



The City of Cambridge is run by a Council-Manager form of government as detailed by its Plan E charter. The Plan E Charter method of government specifies that there is a City Council with 9 members, including a Mayor, and the City Council hires a City Manager. Under Plan E, the Mayor and Vice Mayor are elected by their City Council colleagues, not directly elected by the residents.



The City Council makes policy, and approves the City budget. The City Council is also responsible for hiring a City Manager with the expertise to oversee and direct the day-to-day activities of the City including Finance, Public Safety, Human Services, Community Development, Traffic and Parking, Public Works, and more. The City Manager provides leadership on all of the City’s strategic initiatives including equity and inclusion, economic development, redevelopment, and organizational improvement. Our current City Manager, Louis A. DePasquale, has been in this position since 2016 and prior to that worked as the Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs under the two previous City Managers, Richard Rossi and Robert Healy.







City Manager Roles & Responsibilities



Under broad policy guidance of the Mayor and City Council, the City Manager is responsible for providing leadership to and administration of all City departments and services. These departments operate within six broad functional areas including Intergovernmental, Human Resource and Development, General Government Public Safety, Community Maintenance and Development and Education.



The City Manager is in charge of virtually all City employees and appoints citizens to volunteer committees, City boards and commissions. The City Manager serves as a liaison and financial officer to the City schools (Elementary, Upper and High Schools are a department of the City, however, they are overseen by an elected School Committee and appointed superintendent).



Position Highlights



Annual Operating Budget:



A key responsibility of the City Manager is oversight and preparation of the Annual Operating and Capital Budget. Each year the City budget proposes how the City will spend its funds (in alignment with City Council goals), a breakdown of expenditures by department, and a report on City revenues for the preceding year. 



The City Manager also has executive power in provision of all City services including how the City responds to crisis events, public health emergencies and climate vulnerability. By working closely with the City Council, the City Manager manages and directs the overall administrative activities and operations of the city.

The City Manager and City Council work together to respond to resident concerns, and the City of Cambridge administers a bi-annual Resident Survey which gathers information on residents' top concerns. The results of the 2020 annual survey are linked here. In 2020, Affordable housing, the COVID19 pandemic, education, economy, and the environment ranked highest as the “single most important issue facing the City of Cambridge today - the one that affects you and your family the most?”

FAQs

When does the current City Manager’s contract expire? When will a new City Manager be hired?

Our current City Manager is retiring on July 5, 2022. Through this process, we will hire a new City Manager by May 2022. 

What happens with this feedback?

We’ll use this feedback to create a leadership profile of the next City Manager, so our search firm, Randi Frank Consulting, knows what type of person we’re looking for. 

What is the process for the candidate screening committee, and how can residents and stakeholders get involved?

Once Phase 1 (Community Engagement/February 2022) is completed and a leadership profile has ben posted, we will post a self nomination form for residents and stakeholders to apply to be on the candidate screening committee which will happen in late April/early May. Please keep an eye out for the self nomination form in early March!

Will there be other opportunities to engage in this process once finalists are chosen?

Yes! After finalists are chosen we will host town hall meetings and community interviews where residents will have the opportunity to engage with the candidates and ask questions. 

How else can we get involved?

Email cambridge@randifrank.com, attend the town hall meeting on February 16th 6:00pm-8:00pm, and subscribe for updates for future engagement opportunities!

Who should we contact if we have questions?

Randi Frank, of Randi Frank Consulting is our point of contact for this entire search. You can email her at cambridge@randifrank.com.