Carlsbad

In a long-expected move, Carlsbad City Manager Frank Aleshire will retire June 1 after more than three decades in city administration.

Aleshire, 63, became Carlsbad’s top administrator in 1980 and guided the city as it matured from a sleepy village to a sprawling, fast-growing municipality of more than 55,000.

City Council members said Aleshire had been under no pressure to retire. In fact, several had urged him to stay on when Aleshire first floated the idea of leaving the city early last year.

Aleshire served as city manager in Pico Rivera, La Puente and Palm Springs before being chosen chief administrative officer of San Diego County in 1973. He quit that post after less than two years, saying he had lost the Board of Supervisors’ support.

He moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., as city manager, but was fired in 1980 after a political squabble with council members. Within weeks, he landed the job in Carlsbad, where he occasionally came under fire for a stance that opponents called pro-development.

Aleshire plans to leave his $75,000 post in June to take part in a management consulting firm run by his wife, Fran. He also may do some part-time teaching and writing, he said.