Paul Skeels selected Interim City Manager

By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula TimesFire Chief Paul Skeels will be trading jobs, at least temporarily, when the City Council approves his appointment to the post of Interim City Manager effective November 20, replacing City Manager Peter Cosentini who has accepted employment with Half Moon Bay.The City Council will vote on whether or not to appoint Skeels on Monday, Nov. 19; it is expected that the body will approve the selection of Skeels after interviewing four candidates.“I’m thrilled that Paul applied,” said Mayor Don Johnson. “I know he’ll do an excellent job as Interim City Manager, and it’s an excellent opportunity for him to gain some real experience,” as the city’s top administrator.Skeels said one thing that prompted his decision to apply was a mention Cosentini made his report on selecting an interim to consider a “trusted department head.”“I thought about that and felt I fit the bill there; I’ve been around long enough that I could tackle this for a few months to give me a chance for professional growth. I think it’s important for city department heads to have a full understanding of how the city works as a whole. I think I have the ability to manage in a fairly stable, non-controversial and non-confrontational manner during the turbulent times of a management change; as interim my job will be to make sure the city runs smoothly and provides services on the course that the council sets us on.”A priority will be to “push along the process of recruitment and selection of a new full-time city manager,” which is expected to take six months, he added.Skeels is a former attorney who had a Santa Paula-based practice until he became the city’s first full-time Fire Chief in 1989. He joined the Santa Paula Fire Department as a paid-call volunteer in 1975 and was selected part-time Chief by his peers in 1988. In a 1989 interview Skeels said he joined the department as a volunteer for the reward of “working with a group of fine people toward a worthwhile goal.”