CAROLINA BEACH — Earlier this month the Town of Carolina Beach announced it had hired a new Town Manager, Lucky Narain, but there was little information about him released to the public.
According to the announcement from the town, Narain is currently a Senior Manager for the City of Hayward, CA and previously worked for the City of Richmond, CA. He also has experience in the military where he served with the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps.
Port City Daily reached out to Narain to find out more about the man who will be taking on the top role in Carolina Beach.
Narain is the father of two boys and his wife is a physicians assistant. Narain himself is a second generation service member who served in the Army; his father serving in the Air Force.
In Hayward, Narain’s role as a senior management analyst has him wearing several hats.
“In the City of Hayward, I’m a senior manager (also classified as senior management analyst) with a wide array of responsibilities ranging from overseeing capital improvement budgets to serving as a project manager for the design and construction of a youth and family center,” Narain said.
Carolina Beach currently has several capital improvement projects in the works and budgeting has been a hot button issue for the town this year.
As for his work with the City of Richmond, Narain is not permitted to say much about it, but he was contracted as an investigator for a police officer-involved shooting incident.
“Because of my extensive experience conducting investigations and interpreting use of force policies in the Army JAG Corps, I was hired as a confidential investigative officer for a police officer-involved shooting. I’m not at liberty to talk more about that though,” Narain said.
According to the grassroots group Justice4Pedie, the incident in question took place in September of 2014 when a Richmond Police officer shot and killed Richard “Pedie” Perez III.
“Narain’s first assignment, we understand, will be a full and independent investigation of the police shooting of Richard “Pedie” Perez III, shot and killed by Richmond Police Officer Wallace Jensen just minutes after midnight on September 14, 2014, The shooting—and subsequent efforts by the Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus and Contra Costa County
District Attorney Mark A. Peterson to justify the shooting and blame Pedie for being shot—have raised serious concerns within the Richmond community, concerns which led to changes in the City code on the police commission and the hiring of a Special Investigator,” according to the grassroots group Justice4Pedie.
According to reports from news outlet KTVU, “Richmond’s Citizen Police Review Commission, in a 7-1 vote, sustained a complaint that excessive and unreasonable force was used against 24-year-old Richard “Pedie” Perez. The vote came after a marathon four-hour closed session, in which the commission heard the findings of its own investigator.”
Narain will begin his duties as Town Manager on Feb. 25, 2019.
Michael Praats can be reached at Michael@Localvoicemedia.com
