Peter Naghavi Announces His Retirement
Peter Naghavi, Costa Mesa's Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Economic and Development Director, today announced his intention to retire from his lifetime of public service as of December 4, 2012.
A LONG, ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER
Peter began his career in Costa Mesa in 1990 as the city's Transportation Manager, where he served the community for seventeen years. He then was promoted to Director of Public Services, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Director of Economic Development and eventually to his current position.
THE CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL
Those who have worked with Peter over more than two decades in Costa Mesa have found him to be a thorough professional, dedicated to finding creative solutions to problems and to developing and motivating staff members to achieve the best results.
OUTSTANDING, DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT
Those of us within the community who have had the opportunity to interact with Peter have found him to be an outstanding public servant, always eager to understand the issues facing us and prompt to respond with solutions.
HIS ANNOUNCEMENT
Peter notified the City Staff with the letter below. He also sent one to his friends within the community that contained similar sentiments.
WHATEVER HIS FUTURE HOLDS...
His friends - I include myself in that group - wish him the best in the future. He's spoken of European travel, consulting and just sleeping in past 6 a.m. for a change.
Good luck, Peter. Your wisdom, dedication and friendship will be missed.
PETER NAGHAVI'S LETTER TO THE STAFF
Dear friends:
With deep emotion and after significant personal debate, I have decided to retire from my position as the Economic and Development Director/Deputy CEO with the City effective Tuesday Dec. 4.2012.
Costa
Mesa City staff have been more than just fellow employees to me. You
are my friends and my family that I saw, talked to, and worked with,
every day for more than 22 years.
I
consider this organization a great place to work. Its employees are
committed and experienced, with a high level of quality and energy
across every department. Costa Mesa residents are fortunate to have you.
They know what you do, and appreciate your quality service. I am happy
for the opportunity to be one of you, and part of this very professional
city employee community.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank every one of you in all departments, especially my former staff at Public Services Department as well as my current staff at the Development Services Department for your support, hard work, loyalty, and friendship. You are one hell of a team.
I bid farewell to all, and wish every one of you the very best in your personal as well as professional life.
Remember, it is not just today that is important. It is your integrity, character, and professionalism that will define your journey in life.
I hope we will keep in touch and will always be friends.
Your friend
Peter Naghavi, Deputy CEO
Economic and Development Director
City of Costa Mesa, CA
Labels: Peter Naghavi
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 10/18/2012 02:46:00 PM
11 Comments:
Does that round out the complete exodus of the senior staff?
Mr. Naghavi was at CM City Hall the night of March 17,2011 along with Wendy Leece, Sandy Genis and Katrina Foley to speak with distraught residents and employees. It was the worst day and night in the history of Costa Mesa. It meant a lot to us that they were there for us. I will never forget it.
I wish Mr. Naghavi a happy retirement and thank him for his years of service to our city.
Yes, Karin, he arrived just as I arrived about 15 minutes after poor Huy Pham died. Peter was distraught, but did his best to confort his fellow employees. He's a good man will, indeed, be missed.
A professional and a gentleman. HE is the image Costa Mesa should put out to the world. Thank you, Mr. Naghavi.
Now, I wonder when the Daily Pilot will pick up this story.
I really like that Mr. Naghavi put this in his resignation letter, "It is your INTEGRITY, character, and professionalism that will define your journey in life". That sentence speaks volumes.
Leaves me with one question.
When this clown car of a council is replaced with honest people actually working for the good of the city, can we go back to calling the City Manager just that instead of this bs "CEO" title?
Cities much bigger than CM all got a big laugh out of Righeimers need to change names in order to "run the city like a business".
I wish him well.
Question: What is normally an obstacle for any developer?
Answer: Development services and all of their rules.
Question: How does a developer get past this obstacle?
Answer: Insert a bootlicker and ignore the rules.
Lets wait and see who gets to run that department. I heard Fitzy needs a job.
Peter Naghavi was the staff member who recommended the banning ranch development deal. Glad you all realize how great he is and that his decision was sound. We will miss him. McEvoy disagrees with him. Who do you trust has more knowledge on banning? Peter or Chris?
Naghavi thankfully failed at getting the light rail debacle, "CenterLine", built through Costa Mesa. What a mess that would have been. The picture of the Costa Mesa station was once prominently displayed in his office.
To borrow Peter's words, it is his integrity, character and professionalism that defined him and his mark on Costa Mesa. I was honored to work with him at the City for 13 years, and I am proud to call him my friend.
Congratulations, Peter!
And let's not forgot that Naghavi was the staff member who told the cc - at the same meeting where the cc union majority voted to accept a draft of the banning ranch developers' traffic mitigation agreement - that a decision to accept - or not - could wait, it didn't have to be made right then and there. Yet, despite this information from Naghavi and the strong objections of an overwhelming majority of CM Residents at that cc meeting (and in general), the cc union majority hastily voted to accept this Draft from the banning ranch Developers, and in doing so, voted to save the developers millions in actual traffic mitigation costs and most likely millions more in future legal and other costs related to any objections about the development that CM might raise! Just like that - selling out our city and us, the residents, to save their developer brothers money. It doesn't matter if this thing is on or off the table - or in the shredder - right now; the fact that these guys voted to accept it in the first place speaks volumes about them.
What is it that Naghavi says in his letter about integrity and character?
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