Vernon Light and Power Director Promoted to City Administrator

The Vernon City Council voted unanimously to appoint Donal O’Callaghan as City Administrator. O’Callaghan, who has served as Director of Vernon Light and Power for the past four years, succeeds Eric Fresch, who held the City Administrator position as outside counsel since 2007.

As Director of Light and Power, O’Callaghan oversaw all aspects of the publicly-owned utility, and also managed the city’s Fiber Optics Department. In 2006, he was also given additional City responsibilities, and began overseeing Vernon’s Gas Department. He will continue to direct these three departments, and as City Administrator will oversee administrative functions for all other City Departments, including Vernon’s Police and Fire Departments, and will be responsible for City budgeting.

“I look forward to serving the City in this new capacity, and helping to ensure that Vernon maintains its critical role in the region as an economic engine and significant employer of approximately 50,000 people living in the surrounding communities,” said O’Callaghan. “As City Administrator, I will continue Vernon’s long-standing commitment to finding creative and innovative ways to meet the ever-changing needs of the business community.”

During O’Callaghan’s tenure as Director of Light and Power, Vernon completed construction of a state-of-the-art gas distribution system that can accommodate the substantial needs of Vernon businesses. O’Callaghan also implemented a new customer service system in the department, which now has a dedicated professional to assist businesses with questions about Vernon’s billing, available services and rates. The City’s utilities continue to offer among the lowest electricity rates in Southern California with prices on average 30% lower than neighboring cities.

Fresch will continue to provide a variety of legal services to the City, especially related to finance programs that support the Vernon’s premier utility offerings. He will also serve as special counsel to the City Council.

During Fresch’s two-year tenure, which always was intended to be interim, several departments reported directly to the City Council. Those departments, including City Attorney, Human Resources, Finance and Health will now report directly to O’Callaghan.

“The City Council is thrilled to have Donal as our new City Administrator,” Vernon Mayor Hilario “Larry” Gonzales said. “He is a top executive who has demonstrated a clear understanding of Vernon’s unique position in the region. As City Administrator, Donal will build on his successes at the Department of Light and Power and provide important leadership for the City as we plan for the future.”

O’Callaghan is a mechanical engineer with 27 years of international and domestic experience in both the private and public sectors encompassing engineering, operation and administration management, project management, power generation (gas/coal/cogen/thermal), transmission, distribution, and oil and gas production. Prior to working in the City of Vernon, O’Callaghan spent nearly 17 years in various countries within Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, with the last 10 years spent in the United States as projects and/or operations manager for Enron/Nepco, S & B Engineers, Orion Energy and the City of Santa Clara. He is a member of the Mechanical and General Engineers Institute and the Chartered Engineers Institute.