Council Concludes City Manager Search, Expected to Vote on Appointment Next Week

The San Clemente City Council is expected to vote on the potential appointment of a new city manager during its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, concluding months of searching for someone to take the reins of the city, local officials confirmed with San Clemente Times.

In an email sent to city staff on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 12, interim City Manager Sean Joyce said that the council—with one member absent—unanimously agreed that the job offer should be made to Andy Hall, who is currently serving as city manager for the City of Imperial Beach.  

“The four Councilmembers who were able to participate interviewed the top finalists and unanimously arrived at the same conclusion that Mr. Andy Hall … is best suited to lead this wonderful organization to even greater heights in the years ahead,” Joyce said in the announcement.

If the council votes to approve Hall’s appointment next week, he’ll officially replace former City Manage Erik Sund, who resigned in August to take the city manager job for the City of Big Bear Lake.

“My colleagues and I agree wholeheartedly that Andy is the right organizational leader to foster continued staff development and to achieve the shared goals of the City Council and community,” Mayor Chris Duncan said in Joyce’s announcement.

Hall, according to Joyce, was one of more than 50 applicants considered for the role and comes with more than 30 years of experience in municipal government. As a chief executive, Hall has more than 20 years of experience, having worked for Imperial Beach since 2013 and for Cathedral City before that.

Joyce added that “Mr. Hall brings a passion for local government organizational development, a commitment to customer-service driven municipal services, and a comprehensive understanding of local government administration to his role as City Manager of San Clemente.” 

Hall attended Arizona State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Geography-Urban Studies. He also holds a Master of Public Administration, with High Honors, from the University of Utah. 

Hall has been married to his wife Stephanie for 35 years. Together, they have two children and two grandchildren.

Pending the council’s vote, Hall is scheduled to start the role on Feb. 21.

Joyce, who has occupied city manager positions for numerous cities in his more than 30-year career in local government, was tapped to fill in for Sund in an interim capacity this past September.

In his email to the city staff, Joyce said he would “continue to enjoy my time working alongside you in our collective effort to provide terrific service to the San Clemente community.”