SIMI VALLEY : General Services Director Quits Post

The director of Simi Valley’s General Services Department has left his post, city officials announced Thursday.

John R. McMillan is “leaving the city to pursue other professional opportunities,” according to a statement released by the city.

Assistant City Manager Mike Sedell said that McMillan, whose last day on the job was Thursday, was not leaving the city to take a job somewhere else. Sedell declined to comment further.

McMillan could not be reached for comment.

McMillan, 53, worked as director of the General Services Department for a year and a half for an annual salary of $97,000. During that time, he acted as Simi Valley’s top fiscal officer and helped update the city’s computer system.

Before coming to Simi Valley, McMillan was a government consultant and spent 16 years working for the city of Ventura as a personnel officer, director of management services and finally deputy city manager.

City Manager Lin Koester has hired a former Simi Valley employee, Donald Penman, to act as interim director while he looks for McMillan’s permanent replacement.

Penman, 43, worked for Simi Valley as a deputy city manager in charge of economic development from 1975 to 1982 before leaving to become city manager of San Fernando.

In 1990, he became city manager of Baldwin Park. He worked there until January, when the City Council eliminated the city manager job.

Mayor Greg Stratton said he looked forward to working with Penman.

“To be able to get somebody who has that kind of experience to come and run your shop for a while is a great thing,” Stratton said. “It’s an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”