Tom Haglund got to work 15 minutes early Monday, just as his
secretary arrived to set everything up for the new city
administrator’s first day on the job.
Tom Haglund got to work 15 minutes early Monday, just as his secretary arrived to set everything up for the new city administrator’s first day on the job.
“He barely beat me,” said Karen Pogue, an administrative secretary who has worked at the city for 25 years and who said she was happy to have a permanent boss again after former City Administrator Jay Baksa retired Jan. 4 with an annual salary of $209,760; Haglund will earn $199,000 a year.
He addressed all city employees Monday morning and said he answered questions they had about his former job and life history.
Afterward, Pogue took him on a tour of City Hall, but they only got through a couple of departments due to all the hand-shaking and such.
“It’s been a very warm and welcoming experience so far,” Haglund said after his lunch break at Mama Mia’s Italian restaurant. The smell of leftovers saturated the air in Haglund’s dust-free, mostly barren office: “It will fill soon,” he said.
The opposite will happen to Haglund’s old house in Hanford, where all of his belongings sit in boxes, he said, ready for the big move to the Gilroy home he’s still searching for. He has made temporary housing arrangements in the meantime, he said.
Having already met all the council members throughout his lengthy interview process, Haglund said he was prepared for Monday night’s council meeting, his first as an official Gilroy employee.
Firming up his agenda will occur, he said, after he has time to meet everyone and hear all of their concerns.
The council will hold a special meeting Saturday to prioritize its lengthy list of to-dos after its semi-annual policy summit earlier this year.
