Farewell to a manager who managed

By: JOHN VAN DOORN - Staff Writer | Saturday, June 3, 2006 6:14 PM PDT ∞

Whether Steve Jepsen is taking his leave of the city manager's job in Oceanside because he was driven out, or because his new job in Yuba City is simply too marvelous to turn down, this much is not in doubt:

For more than a decade Jepsen has served Oceanside admirably, particularly in his present stressful post. He and his supporters steadfastly believed, perhaps naively, that the record of his service counted for something, failing, however, to take into account the city's very special political guidelines, in which up is often down, light is often dark, left is right and logic has not been on the payroll for years.

But he did well.

In exit interviews last week with Chris Tribbey, the North County Timesman who at his peril covers City Hall, Jepsen pointed earnestly to benchmarks of his watch: downtown redevelopment, the arrival of major hotels and time shares, and job growth.

"There's been a lot of improvement in this community," Jepsen told Tribbey. "It's changed dramatically."

And so it has, without putting too sticky a touch on it. This is no longer your father's Oceanside. It still has military leanings, of course, but these days they're more to be lauded than decried. It can still be naughty after dark, but that's only because the museums have short hours, the universities are jammed, and the opera company is away on tour.

Face it: Oceanside remains a swell place to live, and it got better because of Jepsen.

Reasonable people believe that very little progress could have come about without Jepsen as its shepherd.

Conscientious to the end, Jepsen also noted for Tribbey: "They're going to have to be scrupulous about having departments stay within their budgets. The budget is basically done. The council just needs to look at a few details."

He said, too, that the future of the Oceanside airport had been a priority with him, as was the "continued maintenance of parks and buildings." And of the pier itself.

Also left on the man's plate were a permanent veterans' hall for Oceanside and the search to find a suitable center for the city's emergency operations. There's more: A city manager is its CEO, and those guys are not exactly clerks.

As to the Jepsen character, recently brought into question by a City Council detractor, who is to judge? Moreover, who is to judge the judges?

There are those who find Jepsen as they always found him, a man of integrity and principle, a man dedicated to his work and to Oceanside. They believe his departure to be a significant loss.

And there are those who say that he lacks integrity, always has, and that his departure is just fine with them; be sure to close the door. Like any decent military enclave, Oceanside is well-stocked with snipers.

Yuba City fathers liked what they saw when they looked into Jepsen's background. Their inquiry included the accusations made in recent weeks by Councilwoman Esther Sanchez that Jepsen had inappropriately influenced a development deal in Oceanside. Said accusations did not deter Yuba City; the people who got to vote on his appointment did so unanimously.

The accusations may, however, have been a driving force that led to the departure of the city manager. Jepsen may have had enough. He's a pro, so he won't say it for public consumption, but you have to figure he's had it up to here.

Jepsen will be around for a few more days and then he will be off to the northern climes. More discussion of the whys, the maybes and the squirrelly nature of the Oceanside political culture probably has little point.

Perhaps there's a larger point to consider, that Oceanside is not much different from other communities caught in the chaotic passing of years. They're sometimes smart and sometimes dumb. They can astonish with great sensitivity to human rights, to humans and their frailties, and they can embarrass with cruelty, vindictiveness, and an utter ignorance as to how decently to proceed.

Maybe an even larger point is that they are we, and, like us, cry out for a bit of help, understanding and on too many occasions to count, the gift of forgiveness.

Contact John Van Doorn at (760) 739-6647, or jvandoorn@nctimes.com.