New City Manager invites community dialogue

On Tuesday, Linda Kelly sat down at her desk for the first time as Sonoma’s City Manager. At the end of the day, she opened her new blog with a note to the community.
“Today was a great first day!” she wrote, and thanked the community for their patience as she settles in, learning the ropes. She said that Mayor Joanne Sanders will host a reception on Monday, February 4, from 4-5 p.m. at the newly renovated Council Chambers and Police Department. This will be an opportunity for the community to visit the refurbished building and, of course, to meet Linda.
Linda introduced both herself and her blog. “Some readers may be aware that I maintained a web log (blog) of town information and activities at my last position with the Town of Fairfax,” she wrote, “and with the encouragement of your Mayor and City Council, I have launched a new blog, The Manager’s Journal, at its own web domain http://www.sonomamanager.com/, specifically to inform the residents of the City of Sonoma, the greater valley community, as well as anyone with an interest in the workings of this great town.”
She explained the importance to her of keeping and providing current information so that community members can be part of what is going on. “I strongly believe that by providing updated information in an open and accessible manner, community members can become more readily informed about the processes and decisions that affect them and may choose to use that information to become more engaged in their local government. I intend to keep this as a virtual journal of our journey together as Sonoma residents.”
She wrote that her first task will be to listen and to learn about the community and about the issues at hand. She wrote that she wants to listen to and meet as many people as she can in order to learn as much as she can about the issues facing the City government and the greater community. “We the staff are on the same team as those we serve – and I seek ways that we can work together to achieve success. This is your local government, the form of democracy closest to the people and accountable to you. I consider it a privilege to be chosen to serve in this role, and I look forward to the input, comments and suggestions of community members. Our ability to achieve greatness together far surpasses anyone’s ability to achieve it alone.”
Linda can be reached via email at [email protected] or at City Hall at 707.933.2215.