Darrell Dearborn

"Cities are facing a new reality. They have to do less with fewer resources. Their biggest challenge is to deliver the highest levels of the most needed services while retooling their organizations to accomplish that."

Darrell Dearborn has a distinguished career as a manager and chief negotiator in cities in California and Oregon. He's served as Deputy City Manager in Fresno, Director of Personnel and Labor Relations in Salem, OR, and Sr. Deputy City Manager in San Jose. His unique record of accomplishments and experience give him the tools to help cities identify and make the hard financial and service choices they face today.

Sometimes retooling can be done by forming partnerships with other public agencies to finance, build and operate new public facilities. Darrell did this when he negotiated the agreement with San Jose State University to create a joint City-University central library on the University campus. Under other circumstances, it can be achieved by creating new multi-agency relationships as when he negotiated the first paramedic services agreement among cities and the county in Santa Clara County. If new community facilities are needed, retooling might involve forming new relationships with private sector partners who take operating risk in return for the advantages of public financing. Darrell has negotiated agreements using this model to finance, build and operate regional conference facilities, an ice rink and two municipal golf courses.

In addition to projects like these, Darrell has managed city-wide budget functions in two cities, negotiated a number of labor agreements, including police and fire, and managed a number of different city departments.

Darrell holds a BS in economics from San Jose State University and an MPA from California State University, East Bay. He served in the Peace Corps in West Africa.