Hermosa Selects New City Manager

Current Park City, Utah City Manager Tom Bakaly may be Hermosa Beach's new city manager, if his appointment is approved Tuesday by the Hermosa Beach City Council.

If approved, the appointment will end nearly a four-month search for a city manager and will take effect in early September, the city said in a news release release Thursday afternoon.

More than 75 applicants applied for the position before the city narrowed the list of candidates down to four.

“We had a number of outstanding and highly qualified applicants, and everyone agreed that Tom was a standout candidate who will be the right fit for leading Hermosa Beach,” said Hermosa Beach Mayor Jeff Duclos.

Bakaly, who has served in Park City's government since 1995 and acted as the city manager since 2002, is no stranger to the Los Angeles area and Southern California.

According to Park City's official city website, Bakaly served as the budget director for the city of Pasadena for seven years. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a Masters degree in Public Administration.

During his time in the small mountain town of Park City, Bakaly managed a $45 million city budget, helped the city prepare for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and supported a deal to bring a major movie studio to the town, the Deseret News reported in January.

While Park City only has a permanent population of 7,822 compared to Hermosa's 19,648, the resort town's population swells to approximately 35,000 during the peak winter tourist season.

Although it known mainly for its outdoor lifestyle and ski resorts, Park City also attracts a large amount movie fans and Hollywood's elite each year for the Sundance Film Festival.

"Park City is similar in many ways to Hermosa Beach, providing him with the experience of working in a dynamic small-town atmosphere that is also a major tourist attraction," said Duclos.

Bakaly said that he and his family are looking forward to the prospect of the move.

"My family and I already love Hermosa Beach, and we are looking forward to living there and being a part of the community," said Bakaly. "If hired as city manager, my goal would be to encourage even more community engagement and to help Hermosa Beach achieve its greatest potential as the region and the nation emerge from the current economic downturn."

If approved, Bakaly will replace former city manager Steve Burrell who retired after 18 years of service in March. John Jalili currently serves as Hermosa's interim city manager.

"We look forward to working with him to make The Best Little Beach City even better," said Duclos.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the city has been searching for a new city manager for more than a year. The city has only been searching since March of this year when Burrell announced his retirement. We apologize for the error.