Scott Chadwick, a familiar municipal executive who has run the day-to-day operations of two cities in San Diego County, has been named president and CEO of the San Diego Unified Port District. Chadwick, who will receive an annual salary of $395,000, joins the port with more than two decades of government experience, including seven years in his current position as the city manager for the city of Carlsbad, where he oversees a $342 million operating budget and a team of 795 full-time staffers. Prior to the Carlsbad gig, Chadwick was the chief operating officer for the city of San Diego under former Mayor Kevin Faulconer. The 53-year-old Point Loma resident bested a field of more than 700 applicants, including six other finalists, competing for the port’s CEO role during the six-month-long search process. When Chadwick starts in mid-January, he will take the wheel of an agency that has been essentially rudderless for 16 months, following the unexplained leave and eventual exit of the last permanent chief executive. “(The port’s) operations are very similar to a city. The port has a police force. The port deals with special projects, (capital improvement) projects, leases,” Chadwick told the Union-Tribune. “I think I’ve shown significant leadership at the city of San Diego as well as at the city of Carlsbad, and I would expect I’m going to do much of the same.” Formed by the state in 1962, the San Diego Unified Port District is a special district that spans 34 miles of coastline in five member cities: San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado. The agency acts as both regulator and landlord for the waterfront real estate surrounding San Diego Bay. The port has a portfolio of 800 tenants, manages two maritime cargo terminals and two cruise ship terminals, and runs its own police department. The special district is governed by the Board of Port Commissioners, which is also responsible for hiring and firing top administrative executives, including the CEO. The board’s seven commissioners are appointed by their member cities — three commissioners are appointed by the city of San Diego and one commissioner is appointed by each of the other four cities. Carlsbad City Manager Scott Chadwick has been hired to the lead the Port of San Diego as its next chief executive. The 53-year-old Point Loma resident brings 20 years of government experience to the post. (City of Carlsbad) “Scott is committed to people-focused leadership and has a reputation for building strong, high-performing teams that drive forward organizations and the communities they serve,” Commissioner Danielle Moore, who will take over as board chair next year, said in a statement. “The Port of San Diego is a dynamic entity and Scott’s extensive background in city management, government operations, legislative affairs, human resources, labor relations, and the military, coupled with his robust networks across the region and state, position the port for success in the years ahead.” Chadwick will need to deftly navigate the competing interests of commissioners, member cities, port tenants and the public, all while keeping motivated a staff of 581 full-time employees who have worked in a sometimes tumultuous environment since July 2023. That’s when former CEO Joe Stuyvesant was placed on paid administrative leave. Stuyvesant agreed to resign in January, and the board has never publicly discussed the reason for the executive’s forced leave of absence. In the interim, Randa Coniglio, who retired from the agency in 2020, was brought back by the board to serve as the agency’s acting president and CEO. At the same time, the agency has faced other challenges, including fallout from a 2023 San Diego County Grand Jury report critical of the agency’s power. The report spawned a reform bill, AB 2783, in the state Legislature, and led to an ongoing oversight tussle with the San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission. “(Chadwick) is going to have his hands full,” said Sharon Cloward, who runs San Diego Working Waterfront and represents the business interests of port tenants. Major projects like the Seaport San Diego development are undergoing environmental review and still years away from approval. But there are ongoing efforts, like the framework for how to redevelop East Harbor Island and questions around how to move forward with the port’s aging office facilities, where Chadwick could have a more immediate impact. “He needs to prioritize making sure the employees are all OK,” Cloward said. “Recruitment is hard right now. He’s got to make sure everybody feels safe in their job and they’re getting promoted when they should. He has to be able to retain (people) and also hire, and (ensure) that it is a great place to work.” Chadwick says he’s prepared to steady the ship. “Each time that I’ve come to an organization, I’ve been the new guy. And I’ve had to lead by example. I’ve had to really create a culture of belonging,” he said. “I am a people-first person. I always have been. The greatest asset that any organization has are its people.” The operations executive and self-professed “data guy” expects to replicate government transparency efforts he implemented elsewhere, including a public records request portal and a customer-service app modeled after Carlsbad Connect or San Diego’s Get It Done. He isn’t ready, however, to articulate a big-picture vision for the agency. “It would be a critical error of me to weigh in on the vision that I have for the port without actually sitting down with each of the commissioners and hearing directly from them in an individual capacity,” Chadwick said. The board’s selection of Chadwick suggests, in part, that the commissioners want to leave behind past controversies. Longtime Port Commissioner Rafael Castellanos, who resigned days after Stuyvesant’s resignation, was believed to be a strong contender for the post. But Castellanos’ interest in the role, telegraphed months before Stuyvesant’s formal exit, created the specter of impropriety. Castellanos was also chair of the board when commissioners voted, in October 2023, to censure former Commissioner Sandy Naranjo, and he became a target of animus with Naranjo’s most ardent supporters. The censure also complicated the agency’s relationship with Naranjo’s member city, National City. Chadwick was likely picked because the board believed he could help calm the chaos, Cloward said. She also expressed confidence in his ability to do the job, which comes with a steep learning curve. “He’s got the talent. He’s run the big-city stuff. He knows the politics. … He’s got the management skills,” Cloward said. “He’s the right person right now.” The Board of Port Commissioners voted in closed session on Nov. 13 to select Chadwick as CEO. A spokesperson for the agency declined to share if the vote was unanimous. Commissioner Dan Malcolm recused himself from the vote. The board will take up Chadwick’s employment contract in open session on Dec. 10. The draft contract with the port is for a five-year term. His pay package includes the $395,000 annual salary, a monthly car allowance of $1,000, and 100% employer-paid medical, dental and vision insurance.