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February 14 2019

Dear Mr. O’Donnell, et al.:

With this letter I am applying for the position of Director of the Public Utilities for the
City of San Diego. I have included my resume and three professional references. I am
excited about the possibility of leading the Public Utilities Department for the world-
class city in which I now live. No issue is more critical to the future of a vibrant San
Diego than its water supply and the success of Pure Water San Diego.

My background is an ideal match for this position. As described in my resume, I have
Master’s Degrees in Environmental Engineering and Public Administration as well as 36
years of experience in local government, 24 years at the Director level, in Arizona,
Kansas City, San Jose, and Sunnyvale. I bring to the job the technical skills of an engineer
with a focus on water infrastructure, the institutional acumen of a seasoned local
government director, and the passion of a life-long environmentalist.

I had very successful tenures as what was in effect the public utilities director for both
Sunnyvale, CA (population 150 thousand) and San Jose, CA (population 1 million). My
responsibilities in both cities included wastewater collection and treatment, water
supply and distribution, and the recycled water programs. In addition, I was responsible
for water conservation efforts, storm water management, watershed protection, solid
waste management, environmental enforcement, and the citywide sustainability
initiatives.

I have significant experience managing large departments and programs, and have been
successful working and getting things done in large, complex, and diverse
organizations. The San Jose departmental annual budget was $250M with a staff of over
500, while in Sunnyvale my budget was over $125M with a staff of 115. In both cities, I
initiated and managed major infrastructure strategic plans and capital programs,
including the water distribution systems, wastewater collection systems, and the
treatment plants, highlighted by the master plan development and implementation for
the $2.5B San Jose wastewater plant and the $750M Sunnyvale wastewater plant, both of
which are in progress. Departmental responsibilities included strategic planning,
operations, engineering and technical services, regulatory compliance, contract
management, and grants management, as well as the full range of administrative
function (usually in partnership with internal services departments) including finance,
budgeting, human resources, facilities management, fleet management, IT services,
customer billing, and the citywide call center. I was responsible for developing and
recommending water and sewer (and solid waste) rates at a level appropriate for
funding both operational needs and capital programs.