New head of MCAG comes over from Nevada’s capital

Merced County’s association of city and county governments hired a new executive director, plucking him from a public sector job in Nevada, governing board members said Friday.

Patrick Pittenger comes to Merced County from Carson City, where he oversaw planning and transportation efforts, according to his LinkedIn profile. He replaces Marjie Kirn, who left in December for a similar role in Santa Barbara.

Pittenger has worked there for more than a decade, according to his profile, and has also held planning roles in Arizona and Wisconsin since finishing college in 1996.

Merced Mayor Mike Murphy, a member of the governing board, said Pittenger’s experience should be a good fit in Merced County, which last year passed a half-cent sales tax for infrastructure funding.

“It’s a great time to be involved with transportation projects in Merced County,” he said.

This year, Gov. Jerry Brown introduced a gas tax, called Senate Bill 1, which allocates $200 million in money specifically for self-help counties each year. Merced’s Measure V makes it a self-help county, when local governments have money to match state funding.

The transportation deal included another $400 million to bring ACE commuter rail south through Modesto, Ceres and into Merced. And, $100 million is set to complete the Campus Parkway and connect UC Merced to Highway 99.

Los Banos Mayor Mike Villalta, chairman of the governing board, also touted Pittenger’s experience.

“We are pleased to welcome Patrick to MCAG and look forward to developing an effective and productive relationship,” he said in a news release.

Pittenger joins Merced on June 30, and will make $155,854 a year plus benefits, according to his contract.

A committee whittled the applicant pool to 15 and six were asked to be interviewed for the job, according to records.

Kirn was appointed interim executive director in 2012 before being officially hired as executive director in 2013. Her salary as executive director was $163,600.

MCAG oversees local and regional transportation, as well as metropolitan planning. The Bus, YARTS and the Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority also fall under its purview.

This story was originally published June 4, 2017 at 2:39 PM with the headline "New head of MCAG comes over from Nevada’s capital."