Longtime staffer hired as Vista’s city manager

The Vista City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to hire Community Development Director John Conley as the new city manager, six months after Patrick Johnson resigned over a disagreement with the council.

The appointment was met with a standing ovation from the dais and people in the audience. Councilmember Dan O’Donnell called Conley beloved by staff members and noted he had worked more than 20 years for the city. Mayor John Franklin said the new city manager already has a great reputation and is well known in the community.

Conley will receive a $280,000 annual salary. Assistant City Manager Amanda Lee had been acting city manager since October following the resignation of Johnson, whose official tenure as city manager ended Wednesday.

Johnson had been city manager for 11 years, but resigned after the council voted in September to strip his authority to hire and appoint department heads.

Under the change, panels recommend possible hires to head the city’s 11 departments, and hires are made in agreement with a council majority and the city manager, who has the final say. Former Vista Mayor Judy Ritter said the move was one of the worst the council had ever done because it diminished the city manager’s ability to effectively run departments.

Councilmember Joe Green thanked city staff members for their work in the hiring process and noted that it had been stressful.

“I know it’s been an uncertain time,” he said. “We’re hoping with this selection, we’ll be able to move forward and make the city the best that it possibly can be.”

Conley has worked as the community development director since 2007 and assumed responsibility for city engineering in 2012.

Some of the most significant projects Conley has helped to oversee include the development of the Paseo Santa Fe corridor, the redevelopment of Vista Village, the construction of Vista’s two skateparks, and all the projects that were part of Proposition L funding, including the Civic Center, the Moonlight Amphitheatre, and several public safety facilities, including fire stations.