Santa Ana : Utilities Director Quits, Cites Split With Ream

The city’s utilities agency director, Sam Johnson, said Wednesday that he is resigning his $80,000-a-year post after being asked to do so by City Manager David N. Ream because of “differences in management styles.”

Johnson’s resignation becomes effective after this week.

The 47-year-old Mission Viejo resident was named director of the utilities agency--which provides water and sewer service--in May, 1984, when former City Manager Robert C. Bobb separated the department from the larger Public Works Department.

The utilities agency has an annual budget of about $19 million and employs 70 people.

Ream, who was named city manager after Bobb left Santa Ana last year, decided that utilities should be merged again with public works, and last week he gave Johnson a choice of either resigning or taking a job as assistant director under Public Works Executive Director David Grosse, according to Johnson.

This week, however, when Johnson met again with Ream to discuss the reorganization, the city manager withdrew the offer of another job and told Johnson it would be in everyone’s best interest if he resigned, Johnson said.

Ream was unavailable for comment.

Johnson said the difference in the two men’s management styles was the reason Ream gave him for withdrawing the offer. Johnson declined to elaborate on what those differences were.