Assistant City Manager Kari Kent

Kari came to Mesa in 1993 from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality as a Management Assistant to help implement the Blue Barrel Recycling Program, and years later became Solid Waste Department Director. Kari later held the positions of Development Services Department Director and Neighborhood Services Department Director and has been Assistant City Manager since 2007 overseeing the Development Services; Energy Resources; Engineering; Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities; Transportation and Water Resources Departments as well as Mesa’s social media channels.

Kari is past President of the Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA).  She received the ACMA Catherine Connolly Award for Outstanding Assistant City/County Manager in 2013.  She resides on ASU’s School of Public Affairs Alumni Advisory Council serving as a program advisor, mentor and classroom guest speaker sharing her passion for and the skills needed in local government. Kari was named by the League of Women in Government as a Top Ten Finalist for the 2018 Leadership Trailblazer Award which recognizes accomplished leaders across the county in the local government profession who have championed and inspired other women. In 2019, Kari was awarded the Arizona Capitol Times Woman Achiever Award for her dedication to and accomplishments in public service.

Kari received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Public Administration from Arizona State University.

You can contact Ms. Kent via email

Assistant City Manager John Pombier

A veteran of both the courtroom and city government, John Pombier is in his 17th year working for the City of Mesa and 10th as the Assistant City Manager. Pombier began his career with Mesa as the City Prosecutor, spending seven years with that title before being named to his current position. While Pombier was City Prosecutor, the Mesa Prosecutor’s Office won three State of Arizona City Prosecutor of the Year awards. Prior to that, Mesa had only earned the award once in the City’s history.

In his role as Assistant City Manager, Pombier is responsible for overseeing numerous City Departments including Police, Fire & Medical, Human Resources, Public Information and Communications, Mesa Channel 11, Fleet Services, Environmental Management and Sustainability and the Department of Innovation and Technology. He serves as the liaison between the Chiefs of Police and Fire and Medical Departments and the Mesa City Council and has successfully negotiated every Public Safety labor contract over the past decade.  

After earning his law degree from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Pombier spent four years as the lead attorney for the City of Phoenix in the Domestic Violence Unit. He also served as Phoenix’s Assistant City Prosecutor for from 1995 to 1997 He spent two years as the Deputy General Counsel for the State of Arizona Governor’s Office and was the Director of the Governor’s Division for the Prevention of Family Violence.

A native of Michigan, Pombier earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. 

You can contact Mr. Pombier via email