San Mateo County Manager Mike Callagy’s contract has been extended by four years following a unanimous vote Tuesday by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, which touted his “exceptional” leadership amid the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis and during the recent wildfires.
Callagy, who was appointed to a two-year contract as county manager in 2018, oversees a $3.7 billion budget and over 5,500 County employees who provide safety net, health, parks, public works and public safety services to a county of over 760,000 residents.
Such services have been particularly critical amid the pandemic, during which time Callagy has also served as the County’s Director of Emergency Services. Under Callagy’s leadership, the County installed the state’s first no-cost COVID-19 testing site through Verily at the San Mateo County Event Center, stockpiled personal protective equipment, secured hotel rooms to house homeless and those needing to isolate outside the home, launched a countywide recovery initiative and implemented several Board-funded programs to help renters, landlords, immigrants, students and other vulnerable communities. Similarly, the County swiftly rounded up and delivered resources to support victims of the CZU Lightning Fires, officials said.
The supervisors described Callagy as forward-thinking, hands-on, with strong communication skills and an ability to multi-task.
“He seems to juggle a lot of balls in the air and does it quite well,” Supervisor Don Horsley said. “Nothing gets dropped, nothing gets missed.”
Supervisor Carole Groom said county residents are “fortunate to have you leading the County at this particular time.”
Callagy previously served for five years as deputy county manager and assistant county manager under retired former County Manager John Maltbie. Before that, he spent 29 years with the San Mateo Police Department, retiring as deputy chief where he ran day-to-day operations.
Callagy holds a law degree from Santa Clara University, a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degrees in public administration from Notre Dame de Namur University and a Master’s degree in homeland defense and security from the Naval Postgraduate School.
