Planning Manager Promoted to Community Development Director

San Rafael’s Planning Manager Paul Jensen will be taking the helm in the Community Development Department in August, after it’s director Bob Brown , according to City Manager Nancy Mackle.

“I am honored to be appointed to this position and look forward to working even more closely with the community and City Council,” Jensen said.

Jensen will start his new position on Aug. 8 with a starting salary of $124,956. His current salary is $112,488, according to Mackle. The Community Development Department oversees planning, building and code enforcement.

From 1980 to 1988, Jensen worked as a San Rafael planner, then left to work as a private planning consultant for 16 years, before coming back to San Rafael.

“Paul has incredible skills and great knowledge of the San Rafael community,” Mackle said in a statement. “He will make sure quality services continue to be offered to our community, and will ensure a smooth transition in departmental leadership.”

Jensen will be managing a staff of 19 employees. Since Brown first took the community director’s post in 1998, the department decreased by 20 percent.

The 55-year-old planner is known by San Rafael neighbors for his customer-oriented approach, said Steve Patterson, chair of the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods.

“He possesses a level of patience with people rarely seen by public servants,” Patterson wrote in a Patch blog. “But what makes him stand out is his respectful manner and gracious demeanor.”