City Manager, Clark Arneson Announces Retirement

Long time Blaine City Manager Clark Arneson has announced his intent to retire as Blaine’s City Manager on July 31, 2019, giving the City Council seven months to hire a new City Manager. The City Council initiated the search process for a new city manager in December.

Mr. Arneson’s retirement from Blaine will cap a 40-year public service career. Arneson began his career working in community development in Bemidji and then Staples. From there he went to the City of Chaska as the Community Development Director and Assistant Administrator. He then went to the City of Bloomington where he became the Planning and Economic Development Director and eventually the Assistant City Manager. While at Bloomington, Arneson was the point person for the City during the development of the Mall Of America. Arneson was hired as the City Manager for Blaine in January of 2008.

Arneson started his career with Blaine at the same time as the economic downturn and was faced with the challenge of navigating the growing City through tough economic times. Through Arneson’s leadership the City was able to reduce staffing by 17 positions and

reduce the budget by $2,000,000 over the next two years while retaining Blaine’s high level of service.

Some of the things that Arneson is most proud of in his career at Blaine are:

• The development of the pavement management program which provides the funding that allows the City to do long term planning for road repair and reconstruction projects.

• The continued modernization of the Police Department with staffing and technology.

• Modernization of community notification and engagement opportunities through social media platforms and additional technology.

• Continued improvement in the City’s bond rating with sound financial management as the City continues to work toward achieving a AAA rating.

• Professional staff training and development opportunities helping Blaine to become a “best in class” city.

According to Arneson, “Blaine is very well positioned for the future as it continues to grow from 66,000 to eventually 85,000 residents. It is well on its way to becoming an economic powerhouse in the north metro area.”