New city manager shares vision for Clayton

CLAYTON, CA—All the decorations have been neatly put back into storage and the radio station is once again playing “hits of the ’80s, ’90s and today.”

As 2020 fades into memory, we will look forward to 2021 with optimism and hope for a brighter and a much healthier year.

Thanks to the volunteers who took part in the annual removal of the downtown holiday decorations, as well as to Tom Cianfrano and Scout Troop 484 for picking up discarded Christmas trees for recycling. Gargantuan efforts by all and very much appreciated.

With the current shutdown in place, we have continued to hold our public City Council meetings virtually. While we would love to return to in-person meetings, it looks as though the online format will continue for the foreseeable future.

City Hall has also been closed by the shutdown, but that does not mean that city business has stopped. Keeping things going is our new city manager, Reina Schwartz.

As mentioned in my last article, I will feature guest writers time to time. This month, I would like you to hear directly from Reina:

Thank you, Mayor Wolfe, the Clayton City Council and the entire Clayton community for the warm welcome. I am delighted to have been selected to serve the city of Clayton as city manager.

While I may be new to the city of Clayton, I am not new to the Bay Area and not new to working in local government. I’ve worked for various local governments for nearly 30 years.

I was born in San Francisco, have lived in the South Bay and numerous locations in the East Bay and am a UC Berkeley graduate. When I came to Contra Costa County to work for the city of San Pablo more than five years ago, it felt like coming home. And working for Clayton feels the same.

I’ve been drawn to Clayton not only for its small-town character and community spirit, but also for its outstanding trails and outdoor spaces. I’m an avid hiker and am looking forward to having more time in the area to explore and appreciate the local environment.

My job as city manager is to serve the community of Clayton in support of the vision of being recognized as a premier small city. My highest priorities in the near future are to learn as much as possible about the city and community of Clayton in support of that vision.

While COVID-19 has dampened spirts because of canceled events and reduced community gatherings, I know we will come out the other side able to celebrate together a very bright future for Clayton. I look forward to getting to know and serve this community. You can contact me at rschwartz@ci.clayton.ca.us.

Welcome Reina. We are happy to have you with us.

Send questions and comments to cwolfe@ci.clayton.ca.us, or call (925) 673-7324