Sean Rabé leaving Auburn City Hall, but not the community. Here’s what’s next
Sean Rabé is leaving Auburn City Hall, but he is not leaving the community behind.
Rabé has accepted a position as Placer County’s assistant chief executive officer after serving as Auburn’s city manager for the past three years. His new role will allow him to continue working on regional issues that affect Auburn and other communities throughout the county.
Rabé said one of his biggest accomplishments as city manager was improving Auburn’s financial position.
“Once the council gave us direction to address it through cutting personnel, we were able to address that within about six months, so we went from an $850,000 structural deficit to a surplus,” he said.
He also said the city’s general plan update remains on schedule for completion by the end of the year.
Another accomplishment, Rabé said, was reorganizing City Hall staff to create two planning positions and adding a dedicated economic development position.
Rabé said Auburn is one of the most welcoming communities where he has worked.
“I’ve never been in a city where I was brought into the fold so quickly throughout the community,” he said. “It’s just the friendliness of this community and how well everybody treats each other. It’s been a really great place to work.”
Although he is leaving City Hall, Rabé said he looks forward to continuing his work with Auburn in his new county role.
He said many of the issues local governments face extend beyond city boundaries.
“Stuff like wildfire, homelessness, housing problems, transportation and economic — all of that stuff isn’t specific, city to city, it kind of crosses borders,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going over to the county and working on those issues from more of a regional perspective.”
Rabé will begin his new position July 13.
The Auburn City Council is expected to appoint an interim city manager at its July 13 meeting. The city also plans to hire a recruitment firm to begin the search for a permanent replacement, a process Rabé estimated will take about six months.
Rabé said he is committed to helping with the transition and finding his successor.
“When you work in an organization and you’re accepted and working well with the staff, leaving those people is always the hardest part,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of really good friends here, both on city staff and the council, and they’ve been great to work with.”
Rabé’s final day with the city will be July 11. He said he hopes the relationships he built in Auburn will continue long after his departure.
