Diamond Bar Picks City Manager

Members of the City Council, searching for a city manager who is well-versed in traffic issues and the challenges of running a newly incorporated city, found their person last week in Big Bear Lake.

Robert Van Nordt, 46, was hired by a unanimous vote of the council Tuesday night as Diamond Bar’s first city manager. Van Nordt became Big Bear Lake’s city manager shortly after it incorporated in 1981 and has worked to solve the growing traffic problems in the resort community.

“I love to solve problems,” Van Nordt said from his office in Big Bear Lake. “I’ve been dealing with new-city issues for the past eight years. I have an excellent rapport with Caltrans . . . and I am very familiar with San Bernardino County.”

Mayor Pro Tem Paul Horcher said Van Nordt’s rapport with San Bernardino County officials may come in handy as Diamond Bar seeks to resolve a dispute over a barrier placed across Grand Avenue at the county line. County Supervisor Pete Schabarum ordered the barrier put up Feb. 24 to block San Bernardino County’s planned expansion of the road that would increase traffic in Diamond Bar.

Horcher said Van Nordt’s personality also struck a chord with the council.

“He has a take-charge attitude I like,” Horcher said. “He’s not a wimp. He seemed enthusiastic, not just about the job, but about our town. I think the city will be in good hands now.”

Before coming to Big Bear Lake, Van Nordt worked as city administrator of Jackson, Calif., and senior administrative assistant for the city of San Mateo. He also spent 10 years as a police officer in Oakland.

Interim City Manager George Caswell will remain until Van Nordt begins working full time in late June.