Many search across continents to find professional prosperity. Lucky for Colin Tudor, Claremont’s new assistant city manager, success was within his own backyard.

The lifelong Claremont resident and CHS alum has earned his position as Claremont’s assistant city manager after serving the city in an interim capacity for the past 6 months.  Mr. Tudor took over as interim assistant city manager after Tony Ramos was promoted to city manager last December.

“I am really thankful for the opportunity to serve the city I have grown up in,” Mr. Tudor said. “It really makes the job a lot easier when you have that kind of a bond with the community, to put in the hours for an organization and a community that I care so much about.”

The assistant city manager began his rise through the ranks as a Claremont High School student looking for a part-time job.

“I needed to find a way to pay for car insurance,” said Mr. Tudor, who took a position with the city’s day care program. He would continue to work in the city’s recreation division in a variety of roles. “I got to spend time outside taking kids on field trips. It was a lot of fun.”

After graduation from The Claremont Colleges, Mr. Tudor came back to help with the city’s Fourth of July celebration and never left. He stayed on full-time with the city’s human services department, transferring to the city manager’s office in 2006.  Though seemingly different, the job change was a natural transition for Mr. Tudor.  

“The key to being successful is knowing the community. The time I spent in recreation and the people I got to know gave me a chance to understand the different city projects and their history,” he said. “The background in recreation proved to be very beneficial.”

The experience was more beneficial than he imagined. That community expertise served as a catalyst for him as he was promoted to assistant to the city manager 2 years later. Since that time, Mr. Tudor’s accomplishments have included representing the city on the Gold Line Technical Advisory Committee and serving as Recovery Act Funding coordinator. He also spearheaded the city’s involvement in the 2011 AMGEN bicycle tour, for which he was recognized with the Chairman’s Award at the Claremont Chamber of Commerce awards ceremony, as well as the City Manager’s Award.

“He is a hardworking kind of guy,” said Mayor Pro Tem Opanyi Nasiali, noting his city-wide involvement.

Mr. Tudor’s knowledge of the city will continue to play an integral role in his new position. Having worked on the city’s 2-year budget plan for the last 3 cycles, Mr. Tudor is a key resource for Claremont, Mr. Ramos reported in a January edition of the COURIER.

“He has a great depth of experience,” Mr. Ramos said. “He knows our community and understands the issues we are going through.”

Mr. Tudor looks forward to further broadening his hometown knowledge in his newest capacity.

“It has given me a better understanding of how much the city is involved with and the number of projects we have going at any given time,” he said of his journey over the past 6 months. “I am now in a place where I get to be a little more involved in those projects and it is giving me an even greater appreciation for those projects and the services we are providing.”

The sheer variety, he says, keeps his job interesting.

“There tends to be something different to do everyday. I am in the same place, but doing so many different things,” Mr. Tudor said. “To be able to grow like that has been a wonderful opportunity.”

—Beth Hartnett

news@claremont-courier.com