UPDATED: Mono County CAO Wilbrecht to Town as new Manager

Tuesday morning started out as business as usual. In the Bridgeport Courthouse, Mono County’s Board of Supervisors held its regular meeting, but before they broke for lunch word spread across the county like fast moving zephyr that Mammoth’s Town Council had picked Mono County Chief Administrative Officer Dave Wilbrecht to take over as Mammoth Lakes’ new Town Manager.

Indications first thing Tuesday were that he’d been offered the job; by late morning, Mayor Skip Harvey told The Sheet it was a done deal. Wilbrecht confirmed the report as true at 11:30 a.m., and by noon, the Town formally announced Wilbrecht’s selection.

He succeeds former Town Manager Rob Clark, who recently took a similar post in Ojai, and relieves Interim Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez, who came to fill in until Mammoth’s Town Council made its decision on a permanent hire to fill Clark’s vacant staff position.

Wilbrecht, who has acted as CAO for many years with Mono County, had recently been up for a contract renewal in December last year. He previously served in Town government for several years in what was then the Parks and Recreation Department, prior to joining the County’s Administrative office in 2003.

Board Chair Hap Hazard, in a statement from the County and on behalf of the Board, praised Wilbrecht’s performance and some of his achievements. “He led the way through the passage of Measures A&B a few years back. With this change of the Auditor and County Clerk from elected positions to appointed positions, the performance and the responsiveness of those two offices to the county staff and to the citizens have been remarkable,” Hazard observed. “[Wilbrecht] has had many other successes as Mono County CAO and our communities are better off for his efforts.”

Wilbrecht said he didn’t seek the position, but was actively solicited by the Council.

“I think it’s great. It comes at a good time for the Town. He has a terrific building opportunity,” commented Supervisor Byng Hunt, whose name was also brought up as a potential candidate for Clark’s position early on in the Council’s search process.

According to a statement from the Town, Interim Town Manager Marysheva-Martinez will stay on until the end of her contract, June 30, to assist the incoming Wilbrecht and the Town Council with current and emerging challenges, such as the settlement of the $30 million development judgment, development of a budget that takes into account the judgment’s impact on the Town, and creation and implementation of policies and procedures concerning finances and personnel.

Town Council is expected to approve Wilbrecht’s employment agreement during an open session agenda item at its April 20 regular meeting. His first day on the job is scheduled to be Wednesday, June 1. Meanwhile, the County plans to proceed with a formal recruitment to appoint a new administrative officer.

Read more on Wilbrecht in this weekend’s print edition of The Sheet and here at www.thesheetnews.com.