Rick Cole

Rick Cole Rick Cole has been city manager of Ventura, Calif., since 2004. Governing Magazine selected him as one of its nine “2006 Public Officials of the Year,” the only city manager in the nation to earn that distinction. Governing cited Cole’s “intense focus on the details that add up to a vital city.” During the 2008 presidential campaign, he served on the Urban and Metro Policy Committee for Barack Obama.

Cole is an active member of the International City/County Managers Sustainable Communities Advisory Committee, which has spearheaded the organization’s recent embrace of sustainability as “the issue of our age.”

Called “one of Southern California’s most visionary planning thinkers” by the Los Angeles Times, Cole has long been an influential advocate for “smart growth” and “New Urbanism” at the local, regional, state and national levels. He previously served six years as city manager of Azusa, California. Under Cole’s leadership, economically challenged Azusa was described as the “most improved city in the San Gabriel Valley” by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. During his last two years in Azusa, the working class community enjoyed the highest increase in assessed valuation of all 88 cities in Los Angeles County.

Cole brings an unusual background to city management, having previously served as the Southern California director of the Local Government Commission, mayor of Pasadena, executive director of the West Hollywood Marketing Corporation, and co-founder of the Pasadena Weekly newspaper.

Cole is a currently a member of the Congress for New Urbanism, the Urban Land Institute and the American Planning Association.

A frequent writer on urban issues, Cole holds a masters degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Last updated November 18, 2008