 | | | Steve Salomon in 2017 Photo Sora O'Doherty | | | | | | Although the mayor of Orinda was sorely disappointed that the city attorney did not come up with an agreement to prevent Steve Salomon from ever leaving Orinda, she accepted his letter of retirement, effective Jan. 7, 2021. Darlene Gee told Salomon at the Aug. 18 city council meeting, "We are so very, very sorry to see that we are going to lose you."
Vice Mayor Amy Worth echoed the mayor's comments. She thanked Salomon "from the bottom of our hearts," saying, "we have been so fortunate to have you as our city manager; you have contributed tremendously to quality of life and financial security of our city." In what will be a preview of the enconiums to be bestowed on Salomon before the end of the year, Worth said, "I can't thank you enough. So much of your work is behind the scenes, you have really been a mentor with your vast incredible experience managing cities around California."
Orinda citizen Charles Porges also wanted to thank Steve "for all of his wonderful work behind the scenes and wish him the best retirement anyone could ever have." Porges added, "His shoes are really hard to fill."
Salomon came to Orinda as an interim city manager after former city manager Janet Keeting retired in 2017. The city searched for a permanent city manager, but failed to find a candidate they liked better than Salomon. They prevailed upon him to take the position on a permanent, if admittedly short-term, basis.
In his letter, Salomon said that his retirement in January 2021 will end his 45-year career serving government agencies, and will allow the city time to interview and hire a replacement. During his time as city manager, Salomon said, "the Council and community have accomplished a great deal . and faced significant challenges." He went on to enumerate the Miner Road sinkhole, repaired in less than six months, the completion of the $60 million road improvement program approved by voters, the opening of the Art and Garden Center and Wilder Fields, the installation of Big Belly trash and recycling containers, and the increase in the library parcel tax to keep the library open seven days a week during normal hours.
Salomon said it was an honor and a pleasure to work with seven Orinda council members. He added, "I also want to thank the community for the exceptional volunteerism, passion and participation. I wish you and the community the best moving forward in these challenging times." |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA