The Lodi District Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a warm welcome to the newly hired City Manager Scott Carney. The Chamber wholeheartedly supported the nationwide search that the City Council underwent to identify the best possible candidate. This was the first time in over 20 years that a search was conducted to fill the City Manager position. Lodi has enjoyed relative stability at the position, avoiding the rampant turnover that some surrounding cities have suffered recently. From discussions that I have had with people who have worked under Scott’s leadership in the past, we should expect continued stability during his tenure.

Scott is familiar with Lodi and San Joaquin County, having served as Deputy City Manager in Stockton from 2014-2020. He is also well connected at the state level, having worked in both the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations. His range of experience in his 20 years working for various state agencies includes policy analysis, budget development, and executive leadership development.

This hire caps off a series of changes in city leadership over the past year and a half. We have a new Chief of Police, three new City Council members, a new City Attorney, a new Economic Development Director, and now a new City Manager. The Chamber of Commerce has committed our support and assistance to each one of these important community leaders. This week, we have been working in cooperation with the city to celebrate Small Business Week, and we continue to work on important issues such as improving turn around times on building permits, developing both city-wide and downtown specific economic development plans, and helping support small businesses through new online tools and services.

I also want to recognize the hard work of the interim City Manager Andrew Keys, who had to step in and provide leadership after the abrupt retirement announcement of former City Manager Steve Schwabauer. Andrew did not let the interim title keep him from moving the strategic initiatives outlined by the city council forward. He worked closely with the chamber on several initiatives, and we are thankful for his investment in economic development through the hiring of an Economic Development Director Luis Aguilar.

We are looking forward to working with Scott to tackle the important issues that Lodi faces in order to achieve our goals of raising the earning potential for our residents, improving our recreational spaces and quality of life, and creating policy that sets the table for smart, sustained economic growth.