Short timer

Torus Tammer

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Linda Short is a treasure -- at least that is how

her colleagues view her.

On Friday, the secretary to the City Council and city attorney will

retire, saying that she is looking forward to the spontaneity her future

will bring.

“This is the first time that I’ve elected to not have a plan . . .

maybe I’m growing up,” she said with a laugh.Short, 57, has worked for

the city for 12 years, and besides being a secretary, she is known as a

trouble-shooter, mediator, scheduler, writer, organizer and advisor,

among other things.

Councilwoman Laurann Cook has known Short since she started with the

city and said Short has a rare gift with people. She is a good listener

and can understand their needs.

“Linda genuinely cares about people and what she does so is really a

loss to the city, and although I’m sad, I’m also very happy for Linda’s

future,” Cook said. “Although she’s retiring from her job, she will never

retire from working with people.”

Short previously worked at Chapman University, and although she

enjoyed her work, she said she was ready for a new challenge.

“My husband was the chaplain at Chapman University, and my son was

going to school there,” Short said. “It’s where our entire work, our

social and religious life was, and though it was all good, I felt I

really needed to create some space.”

So after a short sabbatical, she interviewed for a position with the

city’s Community Services Department. She landed the job first on a trial

basis, and within a week, it was made permanent.

About six months later, Short was promoted to assisting the

then-Assistant City Manager Ray Kromer and Finance Director Liz Fox. This

was when Short was able to grasp the big picture and see what the city

was about. In another year, she was promoted again, this time to City

Council secretary.

Over the next several years, Short not only made her job seem

enjoyable, but she made life less complicated for those around her.

Mayor Guy Carrozzo said it’s going to be a difficult transition for

all those who have grown to know and love Short.

“A teaspoon of laughter makes the day go by nicely,” he said. “Her

humor and her laugh are infectious, and that’s one of the things I am

going to miss most.”

And it’s the laughter that Short will also miss most.

“We were laughing this morning about all the funny things that have

happened over the 12 years,” Short said. “There are too many to remember

-- but the pranks that Laurann and [Councilman] John [Collins] have

pulled on one another have been particularly funny.”

On Sunday, Short and her husband of 38 years, Dennis, will head off on

a two-week vacation to Hawaii. Although unsure of who will take her

place, she emphasizes that nobody is irreplaceable, including herself.

“I’m pleased about my choice,” Short said, “but I hope they miss me

just the same.”