‘I come not to be served, but to serve’

Homer Bludau was the type of boss who told Texas redneck jokes at city staff meetings, once came to an employee breakfast dressed as Elvis, and took time out of his busy schedule to donate blood, friends and colleagues said at his retirement dinner Thursday night.

Bludau will leave Newport Beach City Hall today after 10 years as city manager.

Getting a little choked up during his after-dinner speech at the Newport Beach Marriott, Bludau told the audience that he felt God had put him in Newport Beach.

“I feel blessed — I’ve always seen myself as a public servant,” Bludau said, later quoting the Bible where Jesus said “‘I come not to be served, but to serve.’”

During his tenure, Bludau has worked for 18 City Council members and overseen the city’s annexation of Newport Coast and the Santa Ana Heights areas, as well as the renegotiation of the John Wayne Settlement Agreement in 2003, which limited how much the airport could expand its flight operations.

He also oversaw the laying of groundwork for a new multimillion-dollar city hall that will be built in Newport Center.

Bludau has worked in municipal government for the past 32 years, earning his first city manager position in Avenal, Ariz., in 1980.

He went on to serve as city manager for the cities of Rialto and Coronado before coming to Newport Beach in May 1999.

Numerous civic leaders at Bludau’s retirement dinner said they will remember him as a good leader who also was approachable.

“You can tell when a city manager really cares about the community,” said former Mayor Evelyn Hart, who sits on the board of directors for Friends of Oasis, a nonprofit group that supports the Oasis Senior Center.

“He really put Oasis on the fast track,” she said. “He really cares about seniors in the community.”

Mayor Ed Selich got to know Bludau well during his two terms as mayor.

“I got to know a side of him that I had never seen before,” Selich said. “He has so much integrity and love for the city.”

Councilwoman Nancy Gardner said she admired Bludau’s cool head under pressure.

“He’s so calm and measured,” she said. “So many things get so excitable in the city, and he calms things down.”

Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff, who has worked for the city for the past 11 years, will take over for Bludau.

Highlights

Homer Bludau’s tenure in Newport Beach included:

 Overseeing annexation of Newport Coast and the Santa Ana Heights areas.

 Renegotiating John Wayne Settlement Agreement in 2003, which limits how much the airport can expand flight operations.

 Overseeing groundwork for a new multimillion-dollar city hall, which will be built in Newport Center.