Victor Cardenas joined the City of Novi as Assistant City Manager in October 2010. He was named Interim City Manager in November 2022 and was selected as City Manager in June 2023. For fifteen years, Mr. Cardenas has assisted the City Manager in developing program strategies to achieve City Council goals and to improve the quality of life in Novi. He coordinates day-to-day operations and ensures integration of services among City Departments as well as the dependable delivery of high-quality services while conserving community resources.
Mr. Cardenas instituted a citizen relationship software that has greatly improved Novi’s receipt of service requests and workflow management and created a digitized version of the City’s Capital Improvement Program.
He currently serves as chairman of The Library Network, the largest library cooperative in Michigan. Previously, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the International City/County Management Association in 2020 and the Michigan Municipal Executives. Additionally, Victor was honored to serve as a trustee to Grand Valley State University until 2022.
Mr. Cardenas holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University. Victor and his wife, Kathryn, live in Novi and have three children, Lewis, Reina, and Emerson.