Dublin’s Retiring City Manager
As noted in this article (please click here), Richard Ambrose will be retiring from his position as Dublin City Manager this month. Dublin’s Mayor and City Council should be announcing Richard’s successor within the next few weeks.
Dublin has been blessed to have Richard serve as City Manager for the past 26 years (for all but 3 months of Dublin’s tenure as an incorporated city). As noted in this Around Dublin Thanksgiving 2007 article, Richard has been pivotal to Dublin’s success and ascent to the upper-echelon of Bay Area cities. Some of Richard’s accomplishments have included:
- More than quadrupling Dublin’s property tax split with Alameda County from 6% in 1982 to 26% today (pre state take-aways). This funds a major portion of the services provided by Dublin for residents and businesses.
- Bringing BART stations and transit villages to East Dublin and West Dublin (Dublin Downtown). This has boosted Dublin to the forefront of the Bay Area “green” initiative.
- Procuring nearly 360 acres of park space for residents and visitors (including the future Fallon Sports and Dublin Historic Parks). This does not include all of the park space that will be added as the approved new residential developments are built in West and East Dublin.
Here is an excerpt from the official press release:
Mayor Janet Lockhart said “I’ve enjoyed working with Richard for the past 12 years and I would like to thank him for his immeasurable contributions to our community. Dublin is one of the finest cities in the State of California, and we have been fortunate to have the finest City Manager guide us for the past 26 years.”
Mr. Ambrose has worked in the public sector for over 35 years. He became Dublin’s first City Manager on May 1, 1982 and has been the City’s only City Manager since incorporation. During his 26 year tenure as City Manager, Mr. Ambrose has worked to add a number of new parks, renovated existing parks, constructed the Award-winning Civic Center and Library, constructed a new Senior Center, acquired and restored the Dublin Heritage Center, and added hundreds of acres of dedicated open space for the community. He has also worked to keep Dublin at the forefront of transportation planning with the development of new freeway interchanges, expansion of the City’s road system, and development of regional transportation facilities including BART and bus system improvements. Since 1982, the City has also developed first class recreation programs, police, fire and other services. These community improvements have been accomplished in a fiscally prudent manner and the City remains on a solid financial foundation at this time.
“I would like to express my appreciation to the current City Council and their predecessors for their support during my 26 year tenure” said Ambrose. “I would also like to thank the excellent City Staff who constantly strive to provide the best possible service to the citizens of Dublin.”
Before joining the City of Dublin, Mr. Ambrose served in various positions at the cities of Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, and Milpitas. He is a graduate of both UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles.
4:38 PM on July 3rd, 2008
Thanks, John. I cannot imagine anyone stepping into the large shoes Mr. Ambrose will be leaving behind, but has the city picked a successor already?
6:16 PM on July 3rd, 2008
Hi Anonymous – I believe that the Council is close to selecting a new City Manager. However, it may be a few weeks before anything is announced.
Thx, John Z.
3:06 PM on July 7th, 2008
Mr. Ambrose is such an awsome city manager. He’ll be hard to replace. It’ll be interesting to see how Dublin will become with a new mayor, new counsel, and new city manager. I hope the best.