City Manager Elaine Andersen announced that Jim Francis has been named the new assistant city manager for the City of Folsom, effective immediately.

Folsom, CA ' City Manager Elaine Andersen announced that Jim Francis has been named the new assistant city manager for the City of Folsom, effective immediately.

Francis has served the City of Folsom since 2008 and is currently the finance director/chief financial officer and human resources director. He will retain these duties in addition to the new position.

'Jim has a breadth of experience in municipal finance, strategic planning, and human resources, and has been integral to the South of 50 planning and development process,' said Andersen. 'He is a tireless and talented public servant who brings decades of experience in the public sector and invaluable expertise to the position.

Francis managed the City of Folsom finance department during a critical point in the city's history, ensuring the city's budget was balanced and sustainable during unprecedented economic times. He has managed programs to improve customer service to the business community, has been instrumental in labor negotiations, has championed process improvement and better use of technology among city services, and has earned numerous national awards recognizing the city's budget and accounting practices.

Francis has 45 years of experience in local government. Previously, he was town manager of the City of West Harford, Connecticut. During his 28-year tenure in West Hartford, he also served as the director of finance, director of health and director of employee services before assuming the chief executive officer position. Francis was also an Adjunct Professor in the University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy. Before that, Francis worked for the Orange County, CA Board of Supervisors.

Francis is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association, the California Municipal Treasurer's Association and the Society for Human Resource Management. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Ecology from the University of California at Irvine and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from Western Michigan University.

He and his wife Hope reside in Folsom and have five adult children.