Tara Finnigan, the City’s deputy city manager, has been appointed to the position of Assistant City Manager following an open recruitment, City Manager Grace Leung announced this week.
Finnigan has more than 25 years of experience in local government, with 14 of those at the City of Newport Beach. Finnigan will succeed Carol Jacobs, who retired from the City last October.
“Tara is uniquely well qualified and best of all, knows and loves this community,” Leung said. “In my three years of working with her as deputy city manager, Tara has impressed me with her leadership and project management skills; deep knowledge of the organization and community; and her high level of professionalism, empathy and work ethic. I know she will continue to develop her skills and positively impact the organization in her new role.”
As deputy city manager, Finnigan oversees the organization’s Information Technology division and Library Services Department, homeless outreach, communication and economic development programs, and manages special projects and certain policy development efforts and legislative issues for the city manager. She also serves as the staff liaison to the City’s Aviation Committee and the Group Residential Uses Ad Hoc.
Her specific duties as assistant city manager will be determined in the coming weeks, Leung said.
Finnigan began her career in marketing for planning and engineering consulting companies and went on to work for the Irvine Ranch Water District and the City of Orange. She joined the City of Newport Beach in 2008. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware and a Masters of Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach.
