Ron Davis selected permanent city manager. Burbank Mayor, Jess Talamantes, made the announcement about the elevation of Davis at last night’s council meeting. Talamantes says the action was taken earlier in the day during a closed session: “The city council unanimously selected Mr. Davis to be our permanent city manager. The council will consider an employment agreement for Mr. Davis during next Tuesday’s council meeting.”
The council gave the new city manager a round of applause. Many in the audience joined in. During his tenure as general manager of Burbank Water and Power, Davis never appeared to be at a loss for words. However, following the announcement Tuesday night, Davis smiled, but did not make a statement.
The selection came as no surprise. Davis has been the leading candidate since becoming interim city manager last January. Davis took over for Mark Scott who left abruptly for San Bernardino. The city did hire a firm to search for other candidates, however, that just may have been a formality.
As noted here, Davis is a skilled City Hall player who wielded considerable power as head of BWP. Already, Davis holds the title of the highest paid Burbank city employee. In 2014, his salary was over $260,000 without benefits. If benefits are included, his annual pay jumps to $370,000 plus, according to website Transparent California.