As the administrative head of city
government, the city manager is appointed by the City Council to enforce
municipal laws, direct daily operations of the City, make recommendations to
the Council, prepare and observe the municipal budget, appoint and supervise
all City department heads and employees, and supervise the operation of all
City departments. The city manager is responsible for implementing policies
adopted by the City Council, preparing and submitting the annual budget,
and administering the day-to-day operations of the City.
Like most cities in California, Sierra
Madre is a general law city run under the “council-manager” form of government.
A general law city is one which operates under laws and rules established by
the State of California. The council-manager form of government is similar to
that of a private company’s board of directors and CEO. The council-manager
form is the system of local government that combines the strong political
leadership of elected officials in the form of a council or other governing
body, with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government
manager. This establishes a representative system where all power is
concentrated in the elected council who then hires a professionally trained
manager to oversee the delivery of public services.
Michael
Bruckner is currently serving as City Manager. Mr. Bruckner brings more than 15
years of progressive leadership experience in municipal government, most
recently serving as Assistant City Manager for the City of Culver City,
California.
Throughout
his public service career, Mr. Bruckner has been recognized for his innovative
leadership, strategic vision, and strong commitment to community engagement. He
has led efforts to improve operational performance, modernize city systems, and
build meaningful partnerships with stakeholders across sectors. His areas of
expertise include budget and financial management, service delivery
optimization, and policy and program development.
Mr. Bruckner holds a Master’s degree in
Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute
of Government and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Sonoma State
University. Some of his accomplishments include developing Culver City’s
Homeless Services reporting dashboard, streamlining internal city processes
related to hiring and emergency preparedness, coordinating several successful
municipal ballot initiatives, and acting as a regional liaison on key
intergovernmental issues.
Disclosure of Enterprise System Information - SB 272