Newport hires a new general services boss

Alicia Robinson

Newport Beach will soon have a new man in charge of its trees, trash

and maintenance.

The city has hired Mark Harmon, 46, as general services director.

He replaces Dave Niederhaus, who retired in April after an 18-year

career with the city.

When he begins his new position Aug. 1, Harmon will bring the

experience of more than 20 years as a public sector employee. He has

worked for the city of Claremont for 10 years and is now its director

of community services.

Out of about 45 applicants, Harmon was one of six invited to a

day-long interview process, and he came out with the top score in

every category, Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said.

“The skills that he brought were very similar -- experience in

another city [that] we consider to have an active population with

aggressive needs,” Kiff said. “Sometimes we call our citizens, in a

nice way, high-maintenance. They expect a lot for their money, so

Mark is used to working in a community that expects a lot for their

money.”

Those similarities drew Harmon to Newport. He’s also worked for

the city of Pasadena, which hosts thousands of annual visitors for

the Rose Bowl -- much like Newport, where out-of-towners flock to the

beaches each summer.

“Newport Beach has a reputation as being a very innovative city,

very strong in customer service,” Harmon said. “They just go the

extra mile for the residents of the community.”

With a $23.7-million annual operating budget and 125 employees,

the general services department handles some of the services that

most directly affect residents on a day-to-day basis: trash

collection, beach cleanup, sidewalk repair.

Some residents recently urged the city to look into outsourcing

more operations to save money. Harmon said he’s not likely to farm

out city operations because although that can save money, it often

reduces the quality of service.

“I’m not sure people want to make that trade,” he said.

“In every city that I’ve worked with or for, when I started, they

had their own maintenance and sanitation districts, and they still

do.”

Harmon is trying to sell his home in San Dimas to move closer to

Newport Beach. He does a little surfing, but his real passion is

golf.

He lamented that his duties won’t include maintenance of golf

courses but added: “Maybe I can sneak out during lunch and check them

out.”