TWC Conference - 2006 [Tom Wood]

Assistant City Manager Tom Wood, Anaheim, CA

In explaining the business of public management, Tom Wood has said that excellent public corporations are those whose clients seldom know they exist; they simply get the job done quietly and effectively. This understanding has come from serving in 11 positions in three distinctive cities over the past 30 years, resulting in a management philosophy committed to "making things happen."

Wood grew up in Southern California and did his undergraduate work at Whittier College, earning a B.A. in Political Science in 1974. One year later, he received his Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

While at USC, he explored public sector employment opportunities and settled with the City of Long Beach. Always assuming he would pursue the traditional city management track and move from smaller to progressively larger cities, his Long Beach engagement changed the plan. Working for a city manager who believed in moving his people to tackle critical challenges, Wood found himself solving public safety, financial, community development, public works, and community service problems in nine positions over a 13 year period.

Pursuing an interest in all those things that keep cities running, Wood accepted a position with the City of Pasadena as Public Works Director in 1988. A city of traditions and quality services, it was not uncommon to attend a neighborhood meeting where the person who "wrote the book" was in the was in the audience. An energized management team focused on facilitating rail transit, automating traffic management, beautifying neighborhoods, implementing new work methods, and replacing antiquated facilities.

Moving back to the city management track, in 1990 Wood was appointed Anaheim's Deputy City Manager, and in 1999 Assistant City Manager/Chief Operating Officer. His role could be characterized as doing "everything and anything" in the public sphere, from negotiating billion dollar economic development agreements (he was the lead public negotiator for the Disneyland Resort expansion) to resolving responsibility for tree roots in sewer lines. His overall focus on unparalleled service in public delivery is consistent with the expectations of Anaheim based organizations. Through it all, Wood has enjoyed passing on his experiences as a public speaker and past instructor at the graduate level, teaching courses in productivity, finance and administration. Telling the public's story to concerned citizens and future leaders has been a way to give back some of the great satisfaction that has come from making people's lives better. Asked why he chose the challenging profession of public management, he responded, "In what other business can you fight crime, put out fires, build houses, unplug sewers, and still have the evening free to take your family to Disneyland?"

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