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Rick Cole was selected as City Manager in 2004, focusing on the City Council’s four key priorities -- the “ABCS” of Ventura government:

• Accountable government, establishing specific performance management targets for every city department
• Balanced budget, overcoming a long-term structural deficit and pursuing a balanced approach to delivering key services within available means
• Civic Engagement, ensuring citizen participation in decision-making and encouraging collaborative partnerships to tackle Ventura’s community challenges
• Smart Growth, promoting sustainable prosperity and quality of life by holding development to higher standards while streamlining regulatory processes

Cole serves on the Executive Committee of the City Manager’s Department of the League of California Cities, the Sustainable Communities Committee of the International City/County Managers Association and previously chaired the Ventura County City/County Managers Association. The father of three children, he lives in Midtown Ventura and chairs the Holy Cross Consultative School Board and is a lector at the San Buenaventura Mission.

Cole previously served six years as City Manager of Azusa, California. He brings an unusual public and private sector background to city management, having previously served as the Southern California Director of the Local Government Commission, Mayor of Pasadena, Executive Director of the West Hollywood Marketing Corporation and co-founder of the Pasadena Weekly newspaper.

Called "one of Southern California's most visionary planning thinkers" by the Los Angeles Times, Cole was honored by Governing Magazine as one of their nine "2006 Public Officials of the Year," the only City Manager in the nation to earn that distinction. Governing cited his "intense focus on the details that add up to a vital city."

As City Manager, Cole welcomes community feedback. He was one of the first City Managers in the nation to maintain a blog. E-mails may be addressed to citymanager@cityofventura.net and the phone number for the City Manager’s office is (805) 654-7740.