As Steve Szalay prepares to leave behind the position of county executive for Sacramento County, current Riverside City Manager Brad Hudson is gearing up to step into his shoes.

Hudson accepted a five-year contract with Sacramento County after spending nearly 35 years in county government in Kings and Riverside counties before becoming city manager for Riverside in 2005.

Hudson talked to The Sacramento Press about his upcoming move in an interview Thursday.

SP: You’ve been in city government for a while now, and prior to that you worked in county government. How will your experiences in the city of Riverside and the counties you administered translate to your work here in the north-state?

BH: Riverside county has about 18,000 employees, a $4.5 billion budget and covers 7,200 square miles. (The) city of Riverside has about 2,400 employees, and a budget of about $1 billion. Sacramento County has roughly 11,000 employees and a $3.5 billion budget.

So, I’ve worked in a bigger organization, and I’m currently working in a smaller organization. (The city of Riverside) is a very complex organization, too, as far as the services we provide.

The dynamics are still the same: We have budget issues, pension reform issues. The same general things that any government has to deal with are present no matter what the size of the organization.

SP: Besides starting out on a large-scale public improvement program during strained fiscal times, what was your greatest accomplishment as city manager in Riverside?

BH: What I’m most proud of is that we saw this recession coming in 2007. We right-sized through attrition very quickly. We’ve had a balanced budget, including a surplus, over the past several years despite the recession.

Even though we have fewer employees, the amount and quality of services has improved. I attribute that to our hard-working workforce as well as an awesome technology effort that has allowed us to become more efficient overall.

We’ve done a lot of special training to help our managers be great managers, too, despite supervising a reduced workforce.

I’m also proud that Riverside is one of two “emerald cities” in the state – so, very good environmental leadership. We were also named one of the top seven cities in the world in terms of using technology. I’m pretty proud of that major initiative over the past six years.

SP: What do you see as your greatest challenge in coming to Sacramento County?

BH: If you look at any of the opinion polls, the thing that people are most-concerned about is the economy: having a job, being able to make their mortgage payment, or being underemployed and having to look for a job that pays enough. It really is the same everywhere, even Sacramento.

The essence of our budget is sales and property taxes and development. If the economy wasn’t so heavy at the moment, people would have other things on their mind. So, working with the budget will be something to really focus on.

SP: What will be your first priority when you walk in the door at the Sacramento County offices?

BH: Spending time with members of the board, understanding their districts, understanding what their priorities are for the organization, how to deliver services.

Really, the key to the job is knowing the board well and knowing what their key issues are and how they view those issues.

SP: It’s been reported that you have a reputation as a “Renaissance man” for initiating more than $1 billion in public projects in Riverside, but also as “heavy-handed” and “frequently ruffling feathers.” How do you take those assessments of your work style?

BH: I think I’m very collaborative in my approach. I do like to move quickly, and sometimes, when you move quickly, people feel left behind, and I understand that. I think it’s always important to reach out to those who are affected by the decisions you make. Ultimately, you work for an elected body, and you work at their pace. You try to match their pace.

Another aspect is accountability. I’m big on holding people accountable, and sometimes when folks fall short, they may not like my response. But that’s the price you pay for holding people accountable.

I think I’m fair and even-handed. I have an open-door policy and a good work ethic, and I’m pretty accessible. Some criticism may be justified in terms of my fast-moving approach, but for the most part I try to be collegial and work as a team player.

(Chuckling) Once in a while, I get accused of being irreverent, but it’s just a well-developed sense of humor.

SP: Since beginning the interview process for the county executive position, you’ve had plenty of time to scope out the territory. What do you see as Sacramento’s advantages?

BH: For me personally, (Sacramento) is similar to the area I grew up in. You have wonderful cultural amenities, it’s the capital city – which is very alluring, the river, parks. My grandfather had a boat on the delta when I was growing up, and I like to boat a little bit. I love the mountains, I ski a little bit and you’re close to Tahoe, so that’s something nice.

I am a pretty big NBA fan, though not necessarily a Kings fan.

SP: Uh-oh. We may have to do something about that.

BH: (Laughs) Yeah, that may be the hardest thing about coming to Sacramento: giving up the Lakers! I might do it. I might.

I’m already a 49ers fan and an Oakland A’s fan, so I’m good to go in those ways.

Kings? I’m not quite there, but I’ll get there.

SP: Have you and your family started making the transition to being in Sacramento?

BH: We’ve been up to Sacramento a few times, looking around, getting to know the area. My wife is excited about the move. She enjoys downtown and the Fab 40s and river parkway. She enjoyed Folsom. We drove all around when we visited. We even went down to Galt. (Galt) reminds her a little of where she grew up in Tulare. You know, a little more rural lifestyle. You can certainly see a lot of different lifestyles in a short drive. (Sacramento) is very diverse.

SP: Have you decided where you’ll settle in?

BH: We’re zeroing in on a few areas. We have a house in Riverside that we still need to sell, and then maybe we’ll find a loft in Midtown just to get started.

We’ll get to know the area a little better before we decide where to buy a house. We’ve been researching the area since February, and we’ll be there Aug. 14 to start, so we have time to figure it all out.

SP: Do you see yourself as staying around a while?

BH: I see this as a career-capper for me. It will be good to see us through these difficult times, change the trajectory skyward.

It’s all about looking in the right direction. I think it’s important that, even if you’re not moving in the direction you want to go right now, you can still be looking to the direction you want to be in and work toward that.

SP: Are you looking forward to being “the new guy”?

BH: Yeah. I’ve done this a few times, so I’m ready for it. I actually look forward to meeting the team there and getting to know the employees.

SP: Szalay says he gets a couple of days with you before he steps down. What do you think you’ll talk about?

BH: (Szalay) and I started in the same place, a little different time though. He was (in Kings County) about five years before I was there. We’ve worked for and with some of the same people, (so) we have some common associations.

And there’s the budget and other business... I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about.

Hudson begins his new position with Sacramento County on Aug. 14.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.