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February 22, 2019

Melissa Morton
Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District
450 Ryder Street
Vallejo, CA 94590

Dear Melissa Morton,

I am excited to apply for the Director of Administration/Clerk of the Board position.

When I began my first job in public service nearly 12 years ago, I knew I wanted to eventually return to Vallejo, the
city I was born and raised in, to give back in a professional capacity. I am confident this opportunity would be a
great fit and I would be thrilled to bring my skills and experience to the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District.

For the past five years, I have been working as the Manager of Commission Affairs for the San Francisco Planning
Department. In this role, I oversee all functions of the Office of Commission Affairs which includes providing high
level support to the Director of Commission Affairs/Commission Secretary, the Planning Commission and the
Historic Preservation Commission. With my team of clerical staff, we ensure all public hearings, weekly and bi-
monthly, run smoothly and efficiently so that the respective hearing bodies can opine on the various land use issues
before them. As your Clerk of the Board, I would apply my knowledge of overseeing hearings to ensure we deliver
organized and seamless proceedings for the Board and customers of the District.

As Manager of Commission Affairs, I also lead the Department’s records management program, which includes
both record retention and record production in compliance with the San Francisco Administrative Code, Brown
Act and Public Records Act. One of my main responsibilities is managing the Records Digitization Project, a multi-
year project whose goal is to scan and index the Department’s entire paper-based holding. I began this project in
2015 starting with procurement and assembling an internal project team with various external vendors. To date,
we have uploaded over 4 million images/pages and as a result, saw a 21 percent decrease in record requests now
that many of the records can be easily accessed through a public website. If awarded the opportunity, I would use
the skills gained from tackling such a large technological modernization project and translate this experience to
meet the needs of the District.

Lastly, I worked as a city planner for seven years prior to becoming a manager. It was here that I reviewed land use
and development projects. It was also here that I worked a regular shift at the public counter assisting members of
the public with questions about potential projects and property information. Serving at the counter was very
challenging yet allowed me to learn and practice exemplary customer service. I am confident that I could apply this
same experience to manage your public counter.

My background in administration and planning combined with my dedication to public service would make me
uniquely qualified to take on the Director Administration/Clerk of the Board role. I welcome the opportunity to
speak with you about how I can contribute.
Thank you for your time,
Christine Silva