The City of Chino Hills has elected to promote from within to replace outgoing City Manager Konradt Bartlam by elevating Assistant City Manager Ben Montgomery to the city’s top administrative post, effective April 1.
Montgomery has made a steady climb over the last 13 years, after beginning in Chino Hills in 2006 as the neighborhood services manager. He was most recently previously promoted to the position of assistant city manager in 2007 from the post of interim finance manager. Prior to that he was the deputy city manager.
In his capacity as assistant city manager, Montgomery oversees information technology, community relations, emergency preparedness, human resources and labor relations, risk management, occupational safety and code enforcement, duties he also carried out as deputy city manager.
He served a three month stint as acting finance director in 2017. He held the deputy city manager post for slightly less than two years after working as assistant to the city manager in 2014 and 2015.
Previously he was employed as a management analyst with the City of Brea from 2000 to 2006. He was a management analyst and library assistant with the City of Whittier for nine years in the 1990s.
Montgomery holds a masters degree in business administration from the University of La Verne, a master of public administration degree from Cal State Long Beach; and two bachelors of arts degrees in economics and psychology from Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The city council acceded to Bartlam’s recommendation in conferring the position on Montgomery.
He has been hired into the post under a three-year contract
at an annual salary of $223,000, with benefits that include $1,538 a month in medical coverage and an $800 car allowance. Under the terms of his contract, he is to be provided a 3 percent salary increase in September 2019 and a 2 percent increase in September 2020.
-Mark Gutglueck