Water district general manager to retire at year’s end

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- Karl Kemp, general manager for Mesa Consolidated Water

District for the last 20 years, has announced his plans to retire in

December.

“Over the last couple of years, [my wife, Kay,] and I have been

talking about what conditions would make it the right time to retire, and

there are some cumulative things,” he said. “Professionally, we’ve

accomplished what we wanted. For me, there’s the colored-water treatment

plant, although of course there will always be something else to do. I

want to spend more time with my family, Kay and I would like to travel,

we’d like to spend more time in a place we have in the mountains, and

we’re involved in church and would like to be more active there too.”

Kemp, who joined the district in 1978 as the assistant general

manager, has been involved with numerous projects throughout his career,

including the development of two master plans and the addition of six

wells, two reservoirs, the pipeline-delivery system and the colored-water

treatment plant, which is still in the final testing stages.

According to a statement by the board, Kemp’s “outstanding leadership

and long-range outlook for the community top a long list of noteworthy

accomplishments. Kent will undoubtedly be missed by the entire district

and especially by those who worked closely with him. Everyone has come to

appreciate his pleasant demeanor and his open-door policy.”

One of the hardest parts of his job was getting everyone involved in

long-range plans, including the board, staff and community members. The

most fun part is seeing a project completed, he said.

“Most of the things I do are intangible, such as convincing people

they need to do something,” he said. “A reservoir, the colored-water

treatment plant or a master plan are things you can see, and that’s fun.”

The part of the job he will miss the most is the human element, he

said.

“The most rewarding thing has been being able to put together a team

like we have today,” he said. “Clearly, the people is what I will miss

the most. The friendship, the family-like atmosphere and the teamwork.”

Trudy Ohlig-Hall, the board’s president, said she will remember Kemp

as as an efficient man who was good at weathering storms.

“He really thought of the community’s water needs,” she said. “He was

tough but very compassionate and very focused on serving Mesa’s customers

by providing reliable, safe and cost-effective water. He was always

clean, neat and accurate, without a hair out of place, and those

characteristics were reflected in his work too. The board and [Kemp] have

had a few storms to battle during his tenure, but he knew how to relate

to his board and, in the end, the results were always great.”

Among the storms he had to battle include public criticism in 1993,

when the board was considering a 23% rate hike.

The board eventually approved a 21% rate increase instead of the 23%,

raising the average single-family bill by $9 every two months, but

residents criticized the district’s travel expenses, which included more

than $46,000 the previous year and were proposed at $30,000 for the

1993-94 fiscal year.

In response, Kemp recommended that the directors cut their travel

expenses to $13,800.

Other residents opposed Kemp’s private bathroom, which had been built

in his new office as a less than $3,000 part of a $2.2-million project

beginning in 1991 to renovate the district’s Placentia Avenue

headquarters.

In 1995, Kemp drew complaints from residents who felt he wielded too

much authority in the district and received a reprimand from Ohlig-Hall

for not following up on two of her requests.

That same year, Kemp also faced formal complaints from two former

district employees who alleged that he knew about sexual discrimination

and harassment at the district and did nothing to discipline the

supervisors in charge.

The district paid a total of $170,000 to settle both claims, and

Ohlig-Hall said he worked to get everything worked out.

“He really worked hard on that with the staff and the board, and he

really cleaned house,” she said.

In 1998, Mesa Consolidated Water District was in danger of losing $2.9

million worth of equipment after Santa Ana Heights was incorporated into

Irvine.

The district had spent $3 million in equipment throughout the years

because it expected to someday provide Santa Ana Heights with water, and

the Irvine Ranch Water District agreed to pay $145,000 for the equipment.

Two weeks later, Kemp announced that Mesa could reuse the pumps and

redirect water from the reservoir previously planned for Santa Ana

Heights to serve Mesa customers, instead.

Kemp said he learned many things during his tenure, including the

importance of communicating well with everybody.

He said he would recommend that the next general manager makes sure to

have a balanced life, including family and friends, not just work, to

stay close to the community and to continue to encourage teamwork at the

district.

“It’s been a wonderful experience,” he said. “It’s been good for me

professionally and good for my family.”