Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 • Hill officially leaves, Talia named Interim City Administrator

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 edition of the Lassen County Times.

The Aug. 18, Susanville City Council meeting was bittersweet for many in attendance, as it marked the last official meeting for City Administrator Rob Hill.

City Attorney Peter Talia will be taking over as interim city administrator as the city plans to start advertising and eventually holding interviews to determine who will take over the job full-time.

Hill has been city administrator since May 2007, when he took over in the interim for previous city administrator Luann Rainey. Prior to that, he worked as the city’s community services director.

During his time with the city, Hill said he has been involved in several ups and downs with the city, but the resilience with which he and city staff have met each obstacle has proven the strength of the people he has grown to know so well.

“Susanville has been very good to me since before I’d been with the city,” Hill said. “The town is wonderful, the people have been just extraordinary. That’s made it very difficult since I announced I was leaving. It’s been difficult to go.”

Hill said that in the last six to seven years, the city had reached a low point back around 2003-2004, when he said the city was facing some real problems. He said he gives a lot of credit to Rainey.

“She deserves it,” Hill said. “And this council has really stepped it up as well. They were able to step back and pull in the reins, have taken the conservative approach, (former councilmember) Kurt Bonham was instrumental to the process as well. The city right now is just in good shape.”

More than just in good financial shape, Hill said the city is at a good place right now as far as the attitude of the employees in each department, allowing them to work hard on a functional level and operational level.

“While it’s sad to go away, I know there are some people out there who are panicking,” Hill said. “Well that’s flattering. I really appreciate it. I’m glad you think I had that much to do with (the city’s success) but frankly, I’m just one of many. And the reality is the city is doing just fine.”

As for his reasons for leaving a town that he loves, Hill said he has no ill feelings toward the city or any of its constituents. He said its simply time for a change.

“I have an adventurous spirit,” Hill said. “I’ve been in this corner of the world for 48 years, and I feel like there’s something else out there. It’s a leap of faith. I do believe I have a different calling at the moment. Faith, by the mere definition of it, means that you need to take that step and follow your heart.”

Hill will be in town for another couple of weeks before he moves up to Centralia, Washington, to assume the role of city manager. Hill said the main difference between the city manager position and the city administrator position here in Susanville is that there will be a lot more responsibility as a manager.

Hill said he was very happy with the accomplishments city staff has been able to make during his time with the city. Hill said the last and greatest thing was being part of the refinance of the city’s natural gas utility, a task he has been heavily involved with for the last few years.

“There are a number of things I’m very proud of,” Hill said. “Getting the golf course expanded, the Susan River Trail, building the skate park, I mean look at what the Fishing Derby has turned into. I feel like we’ve done some great things.”

Hill said there was one issue he said he was sad to never really see come to fruition: the swimming pool. Hill said the whole process of closing down Roosevelt School’s swimming broke his heart, but the city had no choice. He also said dealing with the incredible frustration of trying to find a solution for getting a new pool was rough.

“It’s complicated, it’s expensive and it seemed like every time we had an angle on it, something would come up,” Hill said. “We haven’t given up on it. It’s an important element to the city. There’s almost a whole generation of kids who aren’t learning how to swim, and as far as I’m concerned that’s a life skill.”

Hill said he was going to miss Lassen County, but he does plan to visit and keep up on the community. Hill said one of the things he was going to miss the most was simply fishing at Eagle Lake.