Leaders choose former employee as city manager
FREMONT » Fremont leaders have selected one of the city’s former administrators, Mark Danaj, to be the next city manager, taking over for Fred Diaz, who retired on Friday.
Danaj was most recently the city manager of the small coastal city of Manhattan Beach, in Los Angeles County, but was fired from that job in January.
Mayor Lily Mei and the City Council announced Danaj’s new role in a statement Monday morning, following a national search for candidates.
He’s expected to begin work on Sept. 10, according to the statement, after his contract is approved at a Sept. 4 council meeting.
Danaj was an assistant city manager and chief operating officer in Fremont from 2011 into 2014, before he was hired away as the city manager for Manhattan Beach.
However, about three and a half years into his tenure there, the Manhattan Beach City Council voted unanimously to fire him, just three weeks after placing him on paid administrative leave, according to the Daily Breeze newspaper.
“After careful consideration, the Manhattan Beach City Council by a 5-0 vote has exercised its option to terminate the employment agreement with City Manager Mark Danaj,” Mayor Amy Howorth said on Jan. 3 after a closed session meeting.
“The action is effective immediately and is without cause under the terms of his contract,” she added.
No explanation was given for the firing, with the city calling it a “personnel matter.” However, his attorney claimed it was because of the way he handled the elimination of the assistant city manager position, which the council requested, according to The Beach Reporter.
Danaj had hired another former Fremont employee, Nadine Nader, to fill that role, but the council criticized the move before he was placed on leave.
“Mark is an exceptional choice for our next City Manager,” Mei said in Fremont’s statement.
Danaj earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Marquette University, a master’s in business administration from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business, and is a graduate of Harvard University Kennedy School’s Program for Senior Executives in State & Local Government, the city statement said.
Prior to working in Fremont in 2011, he was the strategic support city service area team lead and director of human resources for San Jose for eight years. He also served in various roles while working for Lake County, Illinois, for 11 years, including assistant county manager, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“The City Council was looking for a leader with vision and experience but also for someone that understands Fremont’s unique challenges, opportunities, and culture,” Mei said.
“With Mark, we get the best of all worlds; great experience from other agencies and keen insights gained from his more than three years of previous service to our city,” she said.
“Danaj’s passion for city management revolves around modernizing local government, making it more accessible to residents, and fostering authentic civic engagement,” read the statement.
Danaj will be the city’s eighth city manager, according to the city. At a July 17 meeting, the city council unanimously voted to appoint Fremont’s deputy city manager Brian Stott to the role of interim city manager until Danaj starts work.