Time for a change of pace

Jose Paul Corona

After serving as director of community services for more than 12

years, Ron Hagan is stepping down from his post to work on special

projects for the city.

“I got tired of working 10 to 12-hour days and then trying to put

together very complex issues and programs,” Hagan said. “By stepping

down as the director I can focus on the special projects.”

With the budget strings so tight, Hagan said he has been unable to

hire the staff needed to get it all done. He simply didn’t have the

man-power to work on special projects, examine revenue related issues

and run the department.

“The overall city budget wouldn’t allow me to hire city staff to

do day to day operations, so I had to do it all myself,” Hagan said.

While Hagan’s departure as head of Community Services will force

the city to look for his replacement, his talents can be now be put

to better use looking for new sources of revenue, council members

said.

Hagan will become the city’s special projects director. It will be

an hourly, part-time position that is part of the community services

department’s overall reorganization that the City Council approved

Monday.

“It will be a loss to us,” Councilman Ralph Bauer said, adding

that Hagan put together half-a-dozen programs with a skeleton staff,

and although not all of his programs have been popular, he had the

best intentions.

“He did what he felt was in the best interest of the city,” Bauer

added.

Among the projects Hagan will tackle are raising funds for a new

senior center, a new aquatic complex, harbor related improvement

projects and the formation of the Surf City credit card.

Hagan’s move comes weeks after City Atty. Gail Hutton announced

that she would retire this fall.

Councilwoman Connie Boardman is confident Hagan will be well

suited to the position.

“He has some pretty good skills in revenue generation,” she said.

Hagan will spend the majority of his time on corporate partnership

related issues, he said.

There are a lot of new demands on the city and in order to pay for

programs and city projects the city has to find new sources of

revenue. City officials can’t raise property and sales taxes, so new

revenue sources have to be found, Hagan said.

“If someone doesn’t take the bull by the horns and do these

special projects, in a couple of years there will be major cuts in

community services,” Hagan added.

Beaches won’t get cleaned and senior and recreation centers could

be closed down if alternative revenue sources aren’t found, he said.

Surf City is full of natural resources and it has to look at ways

of maximizing those resources, Hagan said.

“Beach improvements have to get done and other specialty stuff,”

he said. “I want to concentrate on that.”

Local parks and resources such as the Shipley Nature Center are

amenities that Surf City residents enjoy and that tourists can be a

part of the in the futureThe city is trying to change its image and

become a tourist destination. It’s encouraging people to spend more

time in Huntington Beach and issues that will arise as part of that

change need to be addressed, Hagan said.

“People are going to stay in town for a few days and we need to

prepare for that in the future,” Hagan said. “We’re not longer an oil

based economy.”

Jim Engle, deputy director of community services, will act as the

director of community services until a replacement for Hagan is

found.