For Chris Constantin, his new gig as Los Gatos city supervisor is a type of homecoming.
Constantin grew up in San Jose on the Los Gatos border and remembers time spent enjoying at Blossom Hill Park and being downtown with household. That background shines by way of within the weekends he nonetheless spends within the space to go to his 6-year-old daughter who lives within the Bay Space; his assembly at a espresso store on the town with this reporter was interrupted thrice by members of the neighborhood who acknowledged him from his previous and needed to say hello.
The city council chosen Constantin for the job final month, and he’s set to formally begin in his function on Nov. 4. As assistant city supervisor Katy Nomura is serving in an interim capability till that point, Constantin has been commuting up on the weekends from his job as the town supervisor of the Southern California metropolis of San Dimas to go to his household and spend time in Los Gatos.
Constantin mentioned he plans to spend time attending to know members of the neighborhood, city workers and its varied departments as he replaces former city supervisor Laurel Prevetti, who formally departed on Sept. 6.
It’s no secret that he has massive footwear to fill. The council honored Prevetti, who served within the function for almost a decade, at a city council assembly on Sept. 3.
The assembly drew a crowd of residents, former coworkers, council members and native officers like state Sen. Dave Cortese and former Los Gatos mayor Marico Sayoc who spoke on the assembly to specific their gratitude and appreciation for Prevetti.
“I sat with workers tonight as a result of I’m so proud to have labored for you, and to name myself a member of that workforce. Laurel, personally, I thanks. And professionally, from one public servant to a different, I thanks in your service,” former assistant city supervisor Arn Andrews mentioned on the assembly, his voice stuffed with emotion.
Constantin mentioned he’s honored to be entering into Prevetti’s footwear, and the neighborhood’s appreciation and help for Prevetti’s work as city supervisor is barely indicative of how concerned and attentive it’s, he mentioned.
“I don’t wish to be in a neighborhood that doesn’t care about how they dwell and the setting, the standard of training, security, high quality of our streets,” he mentioned. “I wish to be in a spot [where] individuals are actively engaged.”
Constantin involves Los Gatos because the city contends, together with different cities throughout the state, with the matter of constructing extra housing after receiving ultimate state approval earlier this 12 months on its plan for all housing to be constructed on the town over the subsequent eight years. He’s additionally more likely to be on the forefront of tackling points just like the city’s price range, which is balanced for the present fiscal 12 months with a projected deficit within the years to come back, and persistent understaffing on the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Division.
Although he has but to formally begin the job, Constantin plans to seek the advice of with consultants to assist determine root causes as step one in addressing these points.
“I don’t wish to stroll in and say I do know all the issues and all of the options. That’s not a constructive strategy,” he mentioned.
Constantin involves the job from a extra nontraditional background in native authorities, one which’s marked by a deal with monetary administration, regulation enforcement, elected workplace and even excessive tech.
Constantin holds a bachelor’s diploma from San Jose State College in industrial and programs engineering, in addition to a grasp’s diploma in public administration from Syracuse College. He began out with a job within the expertise trade, then discovered himself at 19 years outdated serving as a member of the West Valley Mission Neighborhood School District’s board of trustees.
He held the elected place for 13 years, an unusual trajectory for many high metropolis and city authorities officers.
“I went to graduate faculty in New York, flew backwards and forwards each different week to go to board conferences at West Valley and determined that is the trail I would like,” Constantin mentioned.
After that, he took a job as a authorities auditor for the town of San Jose till he left the Bay Space for San Diego. Constantin then held a number of positions with the town of Chico, serving to to handle its funds, coping with the 2018 Camp Hearth and different challenges till he began his most up-to-date gig as metropolis supervisor in San Dimas.
All through this time, Constantin maintained his place as a volunteer reserve police officer with the town of Hayward, choosing up a patrol shift as typically as as soon as per week. He plans to proceed that service when he assumes his function as Los Gatos city supervisor, although he mentioned his day job stays his first precedence.
“You need to take your god-given skills and focus them on one thing that makes a distinction and makes you cheerful doing it,” he mentioned. “This isn’t a job for me; it’s a calling. And I’m going to make use of each expertise I’ve been given to the perfect of my means the place I can.”
