CARLSBAD — Last week, the City Council unanimously voted to appoint Scott Chadwick as city manager.
Chadwick will replace Kevin Crawford, who will retire at the end of July. Crawford, a former Carlsbad Fire Department fire chief, was appointed in February 2016 to stabilize the position.
Carlsbad had three different city managers in three years before Crawford stepped into the role.
“When I agreed to come back as city manager, it was with a very specific set of goals,” Crawford said in a press release. “I wanted to help the city transition to a model that would be sustainable long into the future, including setting up the next generation of leaders, at all levels of the organization. Scott’s appointment is the final piece of that plan.”
He served with the Carlsbad Fire Department for 28 years, retiring as chief in 2014.
Chadwick, meanwhile, was hired earlier this year as chief operating officer, a position he previously held with the city of San Diego. He served as San Diego’s chief operating officer from 2013 to 2018.
Chadwick’s career began with the city of San Diego as a labor relations officer, and he was eventually promoted to human resources director in 2009. Prior to joining the city of San Diego, Chadwick served in the United States Army and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University.
“I feel very honored and humbled by this appointment,” said Chadwick. “Now that I’ve had a chance to see Carlsbad from the inside, it’s very easy to understand why the city is considered one of the best managed in the region if not the state. The opportunities in Carlsbad are huge, and it’s exciting to be a part of this city’s future.”
During his tenure, he gained national recognition for using technology to improve service, increase transparency and boost community engagement. Chadwick has also won praise for accelerating the completion of major infrastructure improvements, including an ambitious five-year goal to repair 1,000 miles of streets, which is on track to finish a year ahead of schedule.
Crawford’s annual base salary is $303,160 and Chadwick, as chief operating officer, is $242,528, per the city’s website.
