New Poway city clerk coming from Carlsbad

By Steve Dreyer

Poway’s new city clerk will be someone who has been working at Carlsbad City Hall for the past 12 years.

Sheila R. Cobian will begin her new job on Monday, May 13, City Manager Penny Riley said on Tuesday.

Since July 2010 Cobian has been the secretary to the city manager. Prior to that she served for six years as the deputy city clerk. Her first job with Carlsbad, a city of 107,000 residents, was as a senior office specialist in the recreation department.

“Sheila’s experience ranges from managing the council agenda process, overseeing records management and public records requests, assisting with the elections process, to supervising staff and evaluating and implementing technology,” Riley said.

Cobian will start at $91,728 per year. The advertised salary range was between that amount and $111,504. She replaces former City Clerk Linda A. Troyan, who resigned in December after four years as city clerk. She was making $128,749 at the time.

Kristen Crane has been the interim city clerk and will return to her previous duties as the water utilities administrator.

This is the first time that a city clerk has been hired by the city manager. The City Council recently approved a change allowing the manager, rather than the council, to hire both the city clerk and city treasurer. Poway has not had a city treasurer in many years.