After a four-month search, trustees of the Mosquito & Vector Management District of Santa Barbara County have named Brian Passaro as the special district’s new general manager. The agency is responsible for monitoring and managing animal vectors — such as rats, mosquitoes and stinging insects — that can transmit disease and other parasites.
Passaro has eight years of experience as administrative services manager of the Coachella Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District in eastern Riverside County. He has a biology degree from the University of Cincinnati and is completing his Masters of Public Administration at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
“Our search was exhaustive with applicants from all sides of the world,” said Larry Fausett, district board vice president. “We are pleased to have brought on Brian Passaro, who brings the right mix of scientific, managerial and people skills for our agency’s mission in Santa Barbara County.”
Former district trustee David Pritchett has been serving as interim general manager, overseeing routine operations and heading up the recruitment of a full-time manager of the district, which covers the county’s South Coast. The district, which has an annual budget of $900,000, has six employees and an office and storage facility at 2450 Lillie Ave., Summerland.
The district’s board has eight trustees appointed by the Board of Supervisors and city councils of Carpinteria, Goleta and Santa Barbara. Fausett and trustees Charles Blair, Jonathan Cook, Chris Pankau and Cathy Schlottmann were appointed by the Board of Supervisors; Ronald Hurd was appointed by Carpinteria; and John Olson was appointed by Goleta. The Santa Barbara seat is vacant.
Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com.