After nearly three decades of working for the city of Davis, Webb will now serve the whole of Yolo County
By OLIVIA HOKR — city@theaggie.org
On Feb. 21, the city of Davis announced that City Manager Mike Webb accepted a new position as county administrator of Yolo County (CAO).
Webb graduated from UC Davis with a degree in environmental policy analysis and planning and kick-started his career as a planning intern with the city. Since then, he worked his way into the roles of planning technician, assistant planner, associate planner and principal planner.
In 2013, he became the director of community development and sustainability. Webb served as the assistant city manager beginning in 2015, and just two years later, he was appointed city manager and held that position for eight years.
“After being with Davis for nearly three decades, it was certainly a big decision and one that I did not take lightly,” Webb said. “The fact that the role was specifically here in Yolo County was the single largest contributor to my decision to pursue it. I have forged so many partnerships and relationships countywide over the years — the opportunity to serve the broader Yolo community and continue to build upon those partnerships in new ways was one I could not pass up. I am very excited to serve Yolo County in my new capacity as CAO.”
The city manager is the chief executive officer of the city. Their job is to provide administrative direction to various city departments, oversee the management of the city, coordinate the activities of the city’s departments and serve as the city’s primary representative to other government agencies and private organizations. The position of CAO is comparable to a city manager in terms of administrative leadership and executing policies.
Webb described some of the key aspects where the jobs differ.
“The differences are in the scale and scope of those responsibilities,” Webb said. “At the county level, you have a geographic area of over 1,000 square miles compared to about 10 square miles for the city. The services at the county level are more expansive as well. While counties provide a very similar level of government services and infrastructure to the rural areas as cities, counties also deliver a whole suite of additional services and programs county-wide, including health and human services, agriculture, assessor/clerk-recorder/elections, libraries, law and justice, airports, landfill and environmental health, to name a few.”
During Webb’s time as city manager, he accomplished a variety of projects that benefited the community. The city’s press release shared a list with a few of his major achievements.
“[Webb] led the team to oversee the entitlement and development of a multitude of commercial and residential projects,” the press release reads. “[This included] thousands of market rate and dedicated affordable housing units and new neighborhoods, and commercial projects such as DMG Mori, University Research Park and Target, to name just a few.”
Davis’ mayor, vice mayor and councilmembers all expressed admiration and appreciation for Webb’s commitment to the community. Donna Neville, the current vice mayor and city council member for district three, was among those commending Webb’s work.
“Mike Webb has been an exemplary city manager,” Neville said in the press release. “His depth of knowledge, his long history with the City of Davis and his strong but compassionate management style have all served the City well. We will miss him greatly, but [we] look forward to seeing him excel in this new position.”
Josh Chapman, the councilmember representing district five and former mayor, shared similar sentiments.
“City Manager Webb has been a dedicated employee and leader for the City of Davis with resilience and fortitude,” Chapman said in the press release. “We appreciate his years of service and wish him all the best in his new role as County Administrator for Yolo County.”
Kelly Stachowicz has served as assistant city manager since 2015. Effective March 31, Stachowicz will take on the position of interim city manager while the city council searches for a permanent replacement. Webb will begin his new position with the county on March 31, 2025. He shared some final regards to his colleagues and his city.
“While I am very excited about my new role and what I will bring to the Yolo team, I will dearly miss my Davis colleagues, many of whom I have worked with for decades,” Webb said. “Our Davis staff team is truly fantastic, and the community is fortunate to have them working for the good of Davis each and every day. Davis is also fortunate to have a city council who cares deeply for the community and the organization. While I will miss the people dearly, I am not going far, and I look forward to working with them in my new capacity.”
Written by: Olivia Hokr — city@theaggie.org
