When the Dam Breaks

As a veteran city manager, Brad Jacks is accustomed to being on the hot seat. He is not surprised to be buffeted by the political winds as he leads his small California Central Coast city through its review of the most controversial private development project in its history. But the normal job pressure enters a personal dimension when he learns some little-known incidents of government deception that led to unintended consequences including the worst man-made disaster of the 20th Century. With each revelation, Brad finds himself challenging his long-held beliefs. But taking a stand in support of the greater public interest jeopardizes the retirement he and his wife hoped for in this idyllic community. Worse, it will likely ensure that a powerful local family will expose a secret Brad and his wife have guarded for forty years that left them both scarred and still threatens their family.

Drawing on the author’s 30-year career in city management, When The Dam Breaks, is a riveting, realistic story of government accomplishment born of pure deceit, of the battlefield that is community development, and a troubled official trying to sort out his conflicting obligations and fears.