John Ford, Hum County’s Former Planning Director, Accepts Offer to Become Fort Bragg’s Next City Manager
John Ford [Photo from the City of Fort Bragg]
The Fort Bragg City Council is pleased to announce that John Ford of McKinleyville, California has accepted their offer to serve as Fort Bragg’s next City Manager. Mr. Ford’s anticipated start date is July 5, 2022.
After the resignation of City Manager Tabatha Miller last December, the City retained the executive recruitment firm of Peckham & McKenney to conduct a nationwide search for a new city manager. Over 15 applications were received, and following an initial screening by the executive recruiter, the City Council selected four candidates for final interviews. A multiphased final interview process was conducted which included interviews with the City Council and selected members of the City management team. Mr. Ford was the unanimous choice of the City Council.
John Ford has years of experience in local government having worked for the City of Thousand Oaks, the City of Roseville, the County of Monterey and most recently as the Director of Planning and Building for the County of Humboldt. While at the County of Humboldt, Mr. Ford was responsible for the reorganization of the Planning and Building Department to accommodate the legalization of cannabis cultivation. The department not only developed a new permitting unit but was also assigned the Code Enforcement unit. His background includes successful coordination with federal, tribal, state and local agencies, including the California Coastal Commission, Department of Fish and Wildlife, in addition to many others. He has overseen the processing of many large and complex projects and has developed creative solutions working with other agencies.
John is married to Bonnie and between them they have five children and six grandchildren with a seventh due any day. When not at work, John likes to be outside doing almost anything from gardening, to hiking, biking or playing golf.
In accepting the City’s offer, Mr. Ford stated, “One of the attractive characteristics about Fort Bragg is the teamwork shown in taking on projects. I look forward to working with the
community to continue to enhance the City of Fort Bragg as a desirable place to live, work and do business.”Mayor Bernie Norvell and the entire City Council believe that the community and staff will find that Mr. Ford is collaborative and likes working with the public. We hope you will join us in welcoming John Ford to Fort Bragg.
Earlier: Humboldt County Planning Director John Ford Resigns
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Being Bragg manager will be walk in the park compared to being squeezed between CA State, Humboldt regs, XXXXX thousand grow scenes.
He’s like Mike penses pet fly.
Shoo fly shoo
Fort Brag looking to bleed some money from their residents?
I’ve been to Ft. Bragg, spent a week there one night.
No kidding. Their planning dept reformed itself a while ago and was pretty transparent. It’ll go the other way now with this informal supervision. Yeah, I know it’s county, but the FB area has it’s own branch.
Well, no one but the rich can afford to live there anymore anyway..
Good luck ft Bragg. If you ain’t in the money, Mr Ford won’t care about you.
John Ford is well qualified and up to the task.
Ford will be an asset to Fort Bragg.
Oh sure, and I have some beach front property in Fallujah Iraq I can sell u. Momma always said never trust a white man with no upper lip.
Congrats and best of luck to John Ford.
He fucked up Humboldt County so bad that even he had to leave Humboldt and try and relocate and reestablish himself somewhere else.
I’m struggling to not place an eternal curse upon him, for all the trouble and strife he is responsible for.
I’m choosing not to.
But, it is very tempting.
After all the instability he has caused, it’s difficult to wish him stability.
I think I better just leave it in God’s Hands.
He’s headed to Fort Bragg…
That’s a start.
What baffles me is that they actually chose him?
To manage their city? Are they masochists?
They must be more corrupt than Humboldt, is all that I can figure. And that’s pretty damn bad. What is this world coming to?
The corruption embracing the corrupt.
I guess I should just be grateful we have rid ourselves of this cancer.
The problem is, that he is just metastasizing to a different area.
I used to like to go to Fort Bragg, occasionally. That will likely change.
Soon, when he arrives, that place is gonna suck a lot worse than it used to.
If I was them, not only would I protest, I would revolt, before I would allow John Ford to become the Manager my City.
I’m glad I’m not them.
I wonder how the citizens of Fort Bragg feel about it…
The only way I can think of how he was chosen, is he lied his A$$ off in his resume’ & interviews!!!!
I dont believe he is looking forward to “teamwork”, he seemed to really enjoy ‘1 on 1″ deals, in the “back room”. Kinda a shame he cost humboldt county millions in unfair and illegal “abatement” and other programs, some of which has yet to be settled. He helped to destroy lifestyles in humboldt, now his poison is going to a small town. #noaccountability
Not if he ends up in a jail cell first.
What are the odds?
What are the odds? The chances are… Slim & None & I just saw Slim leaving town!!!
Pretty low, but why stop dreaming now?
There sure are some people on here that feel it’s a pretty good possiblity, do they know something more than we do?
Maybe we just haven’t got the inside scoop
I know Ford and his crew were sloppy in their “persuits”…
I just don’t know if it rises to being criminally sloppy.
I also am sure that they were vindictive in their “persuits”. Criminally vindictive?
That seems to me, if true, that it would be clear abuse of authority, and a clear violation, of the letter of the law.
I wish someone would clarify if the State Auditor’s office has concluded their audit, (investigation?), or if it is ongoing?
Has the planning department been exonerated by a proper reconciliation of funds received and it’s accounting?
Or not?
What am I missing?
What is everyone else missing?
Good riddance, I feel sorry for fort brag. I wonder if it was a do I want to be buried at sea or in the mountains decision? This man devastated humboldt, guess he’s moving on to see what he can do to Mendocino
I’m not sure who’s getting the worst end of this stick- John Ford or the City of Fort Bragg LOL! I guess I could say they deserve each other… I’m sorry for the good folk of Ft Bragg. Just when you think your city might move forward from the old racist, nasty and corrupt ways you get smacked with something like this. No- I’ve watched him closely and I do not trust him…
The Mendocino coast is magical and sweet… but Ft Bragg is their “Eureka”. You don’t really go there by choice but out of necessity…I just hope to God they don’t hype and tourist-ify Noyo- it’s one of the last authentic working marinas left in Cali where a working-class family can still afford a fish sandwich and see some seals…
Too late. It’s an overpriced investment town now. They can’t find many workers because the workers can’t afford to live there anymore.
Fort Bragg has made a huge mistake, I pity its residents, but hey, he’ll make sure only the rich will have housing while the poor will lose their property with ,
John Ford’s ” Predatory Extortionist ” tactics. The dude takes his cues from Honduran cartel gangs who shake down bus drivers , and waitresses for a cut of their wages.
Fort Bragg has made many mistakes. It’s pretty much the the thing they do best! But that trail along the bluffs was a good move and a beautiful walk. Maybe just maybe they can… embrace their working class families and not screw everybody over for rich people and quick cash? (Like Spendocino?)
Like a catapiller migrating and leaving a shit trail behind it. 20yrs from now he will be the honorary mayor of Tijuana lol
Ford Bragg.
I was calling for his resignation, but now I wish him the best. I hope he can reinvent himself and start a new chapter. I honestly believe this may be a better fit for him. I hope the change comes with some self-reflection and personal growth. Therapy and anger management would probably be helpful for him as well.
The ad for the manager position said “ Ethics not required”
No wonder he just resigned. And it’s warmer down south.
You couldn’t make this up, so it must be true.
Everyone is bailing out. Let the whistle blowing begin!!!!!
John Ford is going to prison he’s the most monetarily corrupt person ever involved in the humboldt planning department the feds must be doing a thorough investigation on his dealings right now.
Because John Ford is a public figure, I’m going to leave this BUT I have no knowledge of any credible evidence of any crime nor of any investigation.
I thought all Humboldt County departments, or at least some of them, (that I thought included the department run by John Ford), were under audit due to discrepancies or some other types of irregularities…
Have they concluded?
Anything found?
Wouldn’t that be considered an investigation?
Would speculation or accusations be out of the question, considering that the office he runs is under audit because of whatever is alleged or unreconciled?
Or has been under audit, but the results have not been made public?
If there is any suspicion, it goes straight to the top, even if it is happening elsewhere. The pirate ship is helmed by the captain. He bears the brunt of the scrutiny. He steers the ship, it’s unlikely he is not aware if it is off course, and has scallywags aboard on the take. If the Captain doesn’t get his cut, the crew walks the plank, and overboard they go…
Aye, the dirty work is done by the crew, with a degree or more of separation, “as if no connection”, says I… But the captain always takes his part, in the sharin’ of plunder…
To be sure, mate… To be sure…🦜🏴☠️
He shall be forever remembered as MND Ford.