McAdoo to Quit Simi Council Over Job Move

Glen W. McAdoo, who has been an outspoken member of the Simi Valley City Council for seven years, announced Monday that he will step down in November because his employer is relocating.

“It’s a very, very sad day for me,” McAdoo said of his decision to retire early from the council. “The day I die, I will probably remember the years I served the residents of Simi Valley as the highlight of my life.”

McAdoo was elected to the council in 1984 and reelected in 1988. His term does not expire until November, 1992.

But he said he will step down on Nov. 11 of this year because his employer, Los Angeles-based Coca Cola U.S.A., part of the giant soft-drink concern, is relocating next year to Riverside County. McAdoo, who was recently promoted to branch manager, said he and his family will move so he can be closer to his job.

“I’m 52 years old,” he said. “If I tried to do both jobs, I’d be 65 in a month. Physically, I can’t do it.”

Mayor Greg Stratton said McAdoo, whose liberal ways sometimes clashed with Stratton’s more conservative philosophy, will be missed by the council.

“I didn’t always agree with him,” Stratton said. “But he’s been fun to work with.

“We’re going to miss his experience,” said Stratton, who is the only council member who has served longer than McAdoo.

In addition to being a strong advocate for affordable housing for the elderly, Stratton said McAdoo made a significant contribution to the council on complex development issues. McAdoo previously served three years on the Planning Commission and before that on his neighborhood council.

As for McAdoo’s sometimes biting candor, which on occasion has been directed at the mayor, Stratton said simply, “Glen has always been a guy who says it like it is. He doesn’t sugarcoat it.”

Stratton said it will be up to the council to decide whether to leave the seat open, appoint a new council member to finish McAdoo’s term or hold a special election.

The earliest that a special election could be held would be April, Stratton said.

If the council decides to appoint a new member, applications will be taken, he said.