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Seaside council appoints Gregory McDaniel as city manager; names assistant as interim
Summary
After a closed-session selection, the Seaside City Council unanimously approved an employment agreement for Gregory McDaniel and adopted a resolution appointing an interim city manager until McDaniel’s March 17 start date. Council discussed salary, retirement classification and other contract terms.
The Seaside City Council on Feb. 6 unanimously approved an employment agreement to hire Gregory (Greg) McDaniel as the city’s next city manager and adopted a separate resolution appointing an interim city manager to serve until McDaniel’s planned March 17, 2025 start date.
The council selected McDaniel after a closed-session recruitment process. City Attorney read the closed-session result into the public record, saying the council “has decided to proceed with a candidate, Mr. Gregory McDaniel.” The HR director later summarized the negotiated compensation package for the council.
Why it matters: The city manager oversees Seaside’s daily operations and leads implementation of the council’s priorities. The hire follows a national recruitment and a multi-stage vetting and interview process the council said produced several finalists.
In a brief presentation, Samantha Alcras, Seaside’s human resources director, said the city opened the recruitment at a monthly salary that would be more competitive with peer agencies and summarized negotiated terms. “Average salary was 10% below market, and the median salary was 12.6 below market,” Alcras said, citing the city’s salary survey. She told the council the starting salary for the position was set at $285,000 and the negotiated package included a $25,000 salary increase relative to the prior manager’s scale; the total compensation plus benefits was listed at $340,430.50.
Alcras also said the new manager will be classified as a PEPRA member for pension purposes (a newer-member PERS classification that has lower employer cost than a classic PERS member), the car allowance increased to $500, there will be no annual housing reimbursement, and moving-expense reimbursement was reduced. She told the council there was no annual housing reimbursement negotiated for the new manager and the moving-expense reimbursement was reduced by $500.
Council members who spoke in the public portion of the special meeting praised the candidate’s experience and leadership record. Several members described McDaniel’s background in municipal economic development and in working with communities that host colleges or universities. Public commenters who spoke after the selection — including residents, members of the homelessness committee and local neighborhood volunteers — expressed support for the appointment and for the interim leadership.
Formal actions and next steps: The council moved and seconded the measures in a special meeting called to allow the city to announce the selected candidate after his employer’s timing constraints. The motion to adopt the employment agreement and appointment carried unanimously. The council also adopted a separate resolution appointing the city’s assistant city manager as interim city manager through the new manager’s arrival. The interim appointment takes effect at the conclusion of the Feb. 6 meeting and is limited by state law on the hours an interim manager may serve without a formal appointment.
The council recorded the new manager’s planned start date as March 17, 2025. The HR presentation, the council’s discussion of comparables and the vote are all in the public meeting packet and minutes.
What the record shows: The item was first introduced in the special meeting read-in and the closed-session readout indicated the council selected a candidate. HR’s slide deck and the public packet summarized the salary survey and package details. The appointment and the interim resolution were both adopted by unanimous vote.
Placement and process notes: Council members said they worked with a recruitment firm and used a multi-week advertisement and screening process that produced a final slate of candidates. HR reported the city now sits closer to peer agencies on compensation, though the city’s total benefit packages vary across comparables.
Ending: The council said it expects McDaniel to take part in incoming orientation events and a strategic planning session shortly after his arrival. The council also directed staff to finalize contract documents for public posting in accordance with city procedures.
