Long Beach : Lease Negotiator Becomes Temporary Port Manager

The Long Beach Harbor Commission has named its former top lease negotiator to temporarily head the Port of Long Beach, one of the most profitable ports in the country, which has been without a permanent chief for nearly a year.

Steven R. Dillenbeck, managing director of commerce and development, will move into the top spot for nine months. The job pays $103,400 and oversees a $220-million budget, making the self-supporting port one of the community’s wealthiest components.

After two management shake-ups, the Harbor Commission decided last May to rotate its three managing directors into the executive’s chair, rather than appoint a permanent chief.

Paul Brown, who oversees administration and maintenance, first held the job. Leland R. Hill, director of planning and engineering, is scheduled to take over after Dillenbeck.

At that time, harbor commissioners will decide whether to continue the rotation, name one of the three men to the job permanently or look outside the port for a replacement.

The arrangement has been criticized by some as bad business, but the port seems to have flourished nevertheless. It is the largest cargo handler on the West Coast and, combined with the Port of Los Angeles, is the biggest harbor complex in the country.