Jesus Gomez.
Staff Report
The Norwalk City Council has unanimously appointed Jesus Gomez as the new City Manager for the City of Norwalk following a five month recruitment process. At the January 16, 2018 meeting, the City Council is expected to finalize his employment contract. Mr. Gomez will then assume the duties of City Manager on February 1, 2018.
“We are extremely excited to have Mr. Gomez come back to the City of Norwalk where he began his public service career almost 30 years ago. The proven track record of Mr. Gomez in the area of economic development and his private sector investment banking experience impressed all of us during the interview process,” said Mayor Luigi Vernola. “We are confident that Jesus will hit the ground running and the City will benefit immediately from his results-oriented approach towards economic development in expanding our economic base. In addition, his innovative approach of instituting ‘service area policing’ which he launched in his previous city will be an asset to our community,” the Mayor expressed. Vice Mayor Leonard Shryock stated that “The entire City Council looks forward to working with Jesus and are eager for him to join our City team.”
Jesus Gomez began his career in public service 29 years ago serving the cities of Norwalk and El Monte. Beginning his career in the City of Norwalk in 1989 as a Planning Intern, he worked his way through several departments over the course of ten years first as a Management Assistant in Public Works, then as a Budget Analyst in the City Manager’s office and ultimately as a Revenue and Budget Coordinator in the Finance Department. Mr. Gomez is currently the City Manager for the City of El Monte and previously served as the Assistant City Manager and the Economic Development Director.
Under his leadership and the leadership of the El Monte City Council, Mr. Gomez was proactive in leading and implementing El Monte’s “Billion Dollar Investment Initiative” which resulted in the approval and construction of over a billion dollars of private and public investments. Major projects completed or under construction include “The Exchange at Gateway” a transit-oriented mixed-use project adjacent to El Monte’s Metro Transit Station with 550 housing units and 25,000 square feet of retail; “Magellan Gateway,” a new 500,000 square foot, $55 million light industrial business park; Santa Fe Trails Plaza, a 15-acre retail center with national stores and restaurants comprising 110,000 square feet in its first phase; a new 133-room Holiday Inn; the Gibson Mariposa Butterfly Park, a 4.5 acre facility featuring splash pads, playground, picnic area, basketball court and amphitheater; and just in the last two months, ground broke on the Baldwin Rose Family Veteran Housing facility, a 55-unit affordable veterans housing project to be built by a non-profit housing developer.
Mr. Gomez also has ten years of private sector experience as a financial consultant to cities and was an investment banker specializing in municipal bonds. This experience makes his skill set unique among his city manager colleagues and will be of benefit to the City of Norwalk.
Mr. Gomez worked with “The Seidler Companies” where he marketed and brought to sale various types of public debt obligations, both tax-exempt and taxable. He then moved on to the position of Senior Vice President at Kinsell, Newcomb & De Dios Inc., where he continued his work as an investment banker for municipalities in addition to serving as a municipal bond underwriter.
“I am excited and honored to have the unique opportunity to come back to the City of Norwalk where I started my career in public service,” said Jesus Gomez. “With my experience both in the public and private sector, I believe I bring value to the City in being both creative and innovative in my approach towards economic development, infrastructure and finance. I look forward to working with the Mayor and City Council in spearheading new and collaborative ways to improve public safety and provide the high quality services that Norwalk residents expect and deserve.”
Jesus Gomez received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from California State University Fullerton. He is fluent in Spanish and as a young adult was the recipient of the Gold Congressional Award, an award established by the United States Congress in 1979 to recognize initiative, service and achievement in young people.
“I am looking forward to serving the residents of the city of Norwalk,” Mr. Gomez stated.