Silver to step down from his post early

Jenny Marder

City Administrator Ray Silver will leave his post on April 30,

several months earlier than originally planned.

When he first announced his impending retirement in September,

Silver said he would step down in July.

“The biggest reason [for leaving early] is that he had a business

opportunity,” said Laurie Payne, the city’s public information

officer. “He has been asked to consult in the private sector, and

they wanted him sooner.”

Silver was out of town on business and could not be reached for

comment on Wednesday.

Friday is the deadline for applicants for his position, and the

City Council will start reviewing applications March 25. The City

Council hopes to choose a new city administrator on April 23, Payne

said, so his premature departure should not cause any problems.

“I think that should be plenty of time,” said Mayor Cathy Green,

adding that, if necessary, the City Council could always appoint

somebody for the interim.

Silver, who has been in the post for 13 years, took over as city

administrator in 1997 after serving seven years as assistant to

former City Administrator Michael Uberuaga. Before coming to

Huntington Beach, Silver served as city manager in the cities of

Coronado and Upland and as director of planning and land use for San

Diego County.

Finding the perfect City Administrator, one that all seven council

members are comfortable with, will be a challenge, City Councilwoman

Debbie Cook said.

“I’m looking for someone who can create a compelling vision and

sell it to employees, to residents, to the council, to everybody,”

Cook said. “We need someone who is visionary. We’re looking for a

hero, but there are no heroes out there.”

Maximus, an executive search firm hired in December to search for

a replacement, set up meetings with residents and business owners to

solicit community input.

Amid a long list of qualifications, community members at a Jan. 29

meeting, said they were hoping to find someone with experience and a

long-range vision for the city. Preserving the sense of community is

crucial, as is fiscal responsibility and expanding Surf City’s

revenue base, they said.

“We’ve got good applications [from] inside [City Hall], too,”

Green said. “We’ve got a lot going for us. I don’t think there’s a

problem.”