Final four South Lake Tahoe city manager candidates from California and Florida

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The search for a new city manager for the City of South Lake Tahoe appears to be nearing the end. City Council has narrowed down their search to four men, all of whom will be at a public Meet and Greet on Monday, March 9 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Idle Hour located at 3351 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

The idea behind the meet and greet is to give the public a chance to get to know the candidates before the City Council closed session scheduled for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. to select the new city manager.

The public can share their comments about the candidates with the City Councilmembers who will be at the Meet and Greet or during public comment at their Tuesday meeting.

The candidates:

Thomas Hutka has been the Public Works Director for Broward County, Florida, since 2009. He has also served as City Manager for Port Huron, Michigan, for five years, Assistant County Manager for Osceola County, Florida, for four years, Associate County Administrator for Hennepin County, Minnesota, and he was Commissioner of Engineering & Construction for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Hutka has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Joseph Irvin has been the Assistant City Manager for Healdsburg, California, since 2018. Prior to that, he was with the City of Sequim, Washington, from 2014-2018, where he was first Assistant to the City Manager, then Assistant City Manager. He also served the city from 2005-2011 as a City Planner. Mr. Irvin was with the City of Marco Island, Florida, from 2011-2014 where he was Zoning Administrator. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from California State University Channel Islands and a master’s degree in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College.

Robert Richardson has been the City Manager for the City of Auburn, California, since 2017, and he was also their City Manager from 2003-2014. His public service experience in California also includes serving as City Manager for Grass Valley from 2014-2017, and he was with the City of Lemon Grove from 1994-2003, serving first as Assistant City Manager, then City Manager. Early in his career, Mr. Richardson was Public Information Officer at the City of Escondido. He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Public Administration, both from California State University Long Beach.

Ryan Stendell has been the Director of Community Development for the City of Palm Desert, California, since 2015. He has served the city since 2002 when he started there as a Planning Technician-Associate Planner. His other positions at the city include Senior Management Analyst Development Services/Planning, and Senior Management-City Manager’s Office/Public Works Department. Mr. Stendell has a Bachelor of Arts & Science degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University.