Blair Seeking $27,600 Annual Disability Pay

Former San Diego City Manager Ray Blair, whose high blood pressure prompted him to resign in May several months after he made a successful comeback from a near-fatal aneurysm, has filed for disability retirement from the city.

Blair said Thursday that he still intends to pursue other job opportunities. His disability filing, he said, reflects “an inability to fulfill the obligations of the job I left--not that I am not able to work elsewhere . . . It’s not a total disability kind of thing.”

The 59-year-old Blair, whose application will be considered by the city employees’ retirement board next Friday, would receive about $2,300 a month under the disability plan. The pension would be one-third of the monthly average of his three highest annual salary figures, said Robert Logan, retirement board secretary.

Blair, who was city manager for seven years, was near death after suffering an aneurysm near his brain in April, 1984. After several months of recuperation, he returned to work in the fall of 1984.

After announcing his resignation in May--an action that surprised many at City Hall--Blair said his decision was prompted by rising blood pressure combined with the continuing stress of the job.

Blair said he is pondering several different jobs as well as the option of starting a consulting business.

Assistant City Manager John Lockwood, who is planning to retire later this year, is acting as city manager while the city searches for a replacement for Blair.