"It has been my pleasure and an honor to serve the city of Half Moon Bay for the past five years," she said in a press release quoting her letter of resignation. "I would like to thank the City Council, the community and the city staff for their support during my tenure. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish and to have been part of a team of dedicated staff members that have always put the city of Half Moon Bay first."
She could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.
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Auker, who is still known to many by her maiden name Ryan, has been on the hot seat for months.
In June of 2005 she admitted that staff did not follow protocol after a tsunami warning was issued for the West Coast. She said she heard about the potential natural disaster from constituents at a public meeting and not through official channels.
Months later, in January, she appeared to gain the ire of some on the council over a miscommunication revolving around the proper procedure to seat a new Planning Commission.
Most recently Auker was questioned at the Aug. 15 meeting about poor communication between staff and the council. Some on the council thought she mishandled letters the city sent some residents asking that they remove basketball hoops on Miramontes Street.
Despite a bumpy few months, City Council members Thursday praised Auker's work for the city.
"We appreciate Debra Auker's accomplishments and service to the city of Half Moon Bay," said Mayor Marina Fraser in the release.
"Debra Auker set a new standard for the Finance Department," said Councilmember Jim Grady in the same release. "She was a very effective City Manager on many projects. The recent contract negotiations with city employees, for example, were as smooth as silk. She also was instrumental in helping the city acquire new lands for parks, trails and open space."
Auker arrived at City Hall as the Finance Director in 2002. In that position she was regularly praised by council members for her thorough budget presentations.
Following the dismissal of then-City Manager Peter Cosentini later that year, Auker served double duty as finance manager and interim city manager until the hiring of Dan Pincetich in 2003. When Pincetich resigned the following year, Auker was tapped to fill the role permanently, beginning her tenure in June 2004.
Before serving in Half Moon Bay, Auker worked as the Controller/Assistant Finance Director of the city of Belmont and the South County Fire Protection Authority. Prior to that, she spent nine years working with Moreland & Associates, an accounting firm based in Southern California. Auker arrived in the area after the company transferred Auker to its Northern California office 10 years ago.
Auker earned her master's degree in Public Administration form Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont and received her bachelor's degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Born in Guam, she spent her adolescence in Huntington Beach.
"This is the next thing that I wanted to do in my career," she told the Review in 2002 after she was hired by the city. "After coming in and reviewing everything and meeting some of the people here, I decided it was a great career opportunity and something I was really interested in doing."
City Public Works and Recreation Director Paul Nagengast will serve as acting city manager while a search for a permanent replacement continues.
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