High marks for city leader

It couldn’t have been a better report card for City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft’s annual performance review.

Council members gave an overwhelming vote of confidence to Culbreth-Graft, 48, who joined the city in 2004 from Riverside.

“Well, she’s still our administrator,” said Councilwoman Cathy Green.

“It just seems that everything is moving forward,” she said about ongoing projects in the city, including Pacific City, the Strand and the completion of the first phase of Bella Terra. “All the employees seem excited and are working as a team.”

Councilman Gil Coerper agreed and called Culbreth-Graft a “solution administrator.”

“She works out solutions to everything,” he said.

On a scale of one to five, Culbreth-Graft’s performance got several fours, four and a halves and fives from the Council members rating her work ethics and professionalism.

Culbreth-Graft served as the assistant city manager in Riverside for a year before joining Huntington Beach. She oversaw several departments, including finance, information technology, parks and recreation, museum, library and other services.

Culbreth-Graft has instituted changes in the management structure of city departments that some employees weren’t happy with. Former planning director Howard Zelefsky’s resignation was attributed to personality clashes between her and Zelefsky.

But council members across the board had nothing but good things to say about Culbreth-Graft’s performance.

Cook said she liked the city administrator’s management approach and hard work. “She treats each council member equally and doesn’t play favorites.”

Mayor Dave Sullivan seconded that, and said this was the best review he had ever witnessed.

“If the council is spending money too fast or too much, she’s not afraid to assert herself and remind them that the income might not come in next year for various reasons,” he said.

Culbreth-Graft also worked as the tribal government manager for the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in San Diego County.

One area the city administrator could improve on, council members said, is to cut back on the hours she works.

“She puts way too many hours in the city,” Coerper said.

“Hope she keeps doing what she’s doing without burning out,” Green said.

“She probably needs to relax a little bit more,” Cook said.