By Hector Gonzalez
Staff Writer

Editor's note: a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Terry O'Day was absent from the meeting. It was councilmenmber Ted Winterer who was not there.

June 11, 2015 -- At a modest reception in the bottom-floor rotunda at Santa Monica City Hall, the guest of honor slipped in quietly, hardly noticed.

Walking up to the first person he met standing at the edge of the small circle of officials and a few interested residents, Santa Monica's new manager casually introduced himself.

“Hi, I'm Rick Cole,” he said, shaking hands with police Lt. John Rodriguez.

Although Cole was not scheduled to start on the job until June 29, he spent the next several minutes chatting with Rodriguez before continuing his round of greetings and face-offs with City administrators.

Cole ended Tuesday's official welcome reception by huddling one-on-one with residents who wanted to talk to him about their own private concerns.

He’s already been contacted by email by at least one issue-oriented local organization, Cole said, and he expects to be hearing from many more.

This week, members of Sunset Park Anti-Airport Inc. wrote “the first of several” emails to Cole, asking him to reject new lease terms recently negotiated by the City Council with two principal lease holders at Santa Monica Airport.

The controversial airport will again be on the Council’s agenda at its July 14 meeting, when members are set to give final approval to the lease deal. When the issue last came up in March, more than 120 residents turned out to speak at a public hearing.

This month, leaders of Residocracy, a grassroots community group organized online, announced they plan to start circulating petitions for a ballot measure that would put decisions on major commercial developments in the hands of local voters (Residocracy to Rush Slow-Growth Initiative After Plaza Vote in Santa Monica, June 5, 2015).

Asked how he plans to juggle the many and often competing interests and issues facing Santa Monica, Cole said, “carefully.”

“In the end, it’s the Council that makes the decisions. My job is to make sure that the Council has the very best professional advice and the very best data to make decisions,” said Cole.

“Yeah, I’m sure that in two, three, four or five years into it, I’ll have my own opinions. But I’m trying not to come in with a lot of half-baked opinions and preconceptions. I’m trying to have an open mind.”

Following the brief reception, Cole was formally introduced at the City Council’s meeting by Mayor Kevin McKeown.

“Welcome home,” McKeown told Cole.

Council members then promptly voted unanimously to give final approval of Cole’s contract. Council members Pam O’Connor and Ted Winterer were absent.

Cole, a former L.A. deputy mayor who is taking over from Interim Santa Monica City Manager Elaine Polachek, will earn $329,424 a year, plus health benefits and 21 days of immediate vacation pay. He’ll also receive moving expenses, a housing allowance and a 3-percent, City-provided home loan.

In introducing himself to the City on Tuesday, Cole said his first order of business is to listen and learn.

“I want to immerse myself in the life of this City in its city government,” said Cole. “I want to listen to your hopes and to your apprehensions, to your concerns and your frustrations and your observations, so I can better understand how to build that enduring and effective partnership between your community and your government in these changing times.”

Times have changed “tremendously” since Santa Monica’s incorporation in 1947, Cole said.

“No longer does authority and credibility come from titles and positions,” said Cole. “You have to earn credibility and authority.

His biggest priority stepping into the job is building partnerships, said Cole.

“What I want to emphasize tonight in introducing myself to the community and the City Council is partnerships -- it’s about building meaningful, strong, lasting, sustainable, partnerships,” he said.

“If Santa Monica is to be as successful in the future as it has been in the past and as it is today, the future success will come from building strong partnerships with our citizens, with our community institutions and organizations, with our businesses, with our regional neighbors and partners, and with the public servants who work on behalf of the city ever day,” said Cole.

“That’s what I would like to contribute to this process.”