The Fort Bragg City Council has decided to hire Director of Finance Isaac Whippy for the City Manager position. The current City Manager, Peggy Ducey, announced her retirement in September and will step down at the end of the year.
Whippy has been with the city for seven years, overseeing several key departments. In his new role, he plans to focus on the city budget and transitioning the C.V. Starr Center from the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Parks District to city management.
Whippy has been putting down roots in the U.S. for close to a decade. Born and raised in Fiji, he got a degree in accounting and economics at the University of the South Pacific and came to Fort Bragg shortly after graduation. “It kind of encapsulates the American Dream,” he said, of the decision he and his wife made to start their family in the town they now call home. When they arrived about nine years ago, he recalled, they initially planned on a short stay before proceeding to a larger city. “However, the charm of this coastal community and the warmth of the people really captivated us,” he said.
Whippy started with the city of Fort Bragg in 2016. As finance director, he has managed the city budget, including auditing, investing and strategic financial planning. He has also overseen the city’s IT department. His responsibilities will be divided among existing staff for now, though he expects that the city will advertise soon for a new financial director. In the meantime, he will continue to oversee the city’s finances with the staff who are currently in his department. Monique Wooden is planning to take over the management of the C.V. Starr Center. The Mendocino Coast Recreation and Parks District, which previously ran the facility, announced in August that it would no longer run it and was turning it over to the city. The center’s 12 full time and 45 part time workers will be added to the city’s existing payroll of 63 employees.
Mayor Bernie Norvell was hoping Whippy would take the position, though the city was poised to hire a recruitment firm to find an outside candidate. Norvell recalled approaching Whippy once about stepping into the role, and being told no. “But it wasn’t a hard no,” which led him to ask again when they found themselves sitting together at a Sea Dragons swim meet at the C.V Starr Center. “We, again, were talking all things city business,” Norvell said. “And the question came up, why not you, Isaac?” He learned that Whippy had laid out plans for what he would do in the first few days and weeks if he took the job, “which was extremely encouraging to me, because it told me that he had been thinking about being City Manager, and he had given it some serious consideration.”
Norvell expressed confidence in Whippy’s financial acumen, saying that, “Isaac is probably the only person I have ever ran into who is more fiscally conservative than me. I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone into his office looking for money and I think every time I’ve left the answer was no…I think it’s great for the city that he is fiscally conservative. Being financially responsible and allowing us to do some really good and fun things for our community. That’s the most encouraging thing for me.”
Whippy is not planning to take the city by storm. “One of my goals is to meet with every single employee of the city to get their expectations of the City Manager’s office,” he pledged. He is also getting ready for early budget considerations, including making sure the city has reserves for hard economic times. “That’s going to be the first order of business,” he said. Whippy intends to continue promoting the elements he considers integral to a positive work culture, “and then just really diving into the day to day here…we have a lot of talented employees, so I’m going to continue to work with them and build a better future for our community,” he concluded.
Vice Mayor Jason Godeke gave a character endorsement. “I come to this with a lot of confidence, because of the ways that he is humble and that he is willing to try to see things from somebody else’s point of view, but not necessarily get pushed around,” he said. “To be able to hold his line if that’s what he feels like needs to happen. I think it’s an interesting balance, and he has it.”
Isaac Whippy will take over as Fort Bragg’s city manager on January 3, 2024.
