Secretaries Name Oxnard Official Best of the Bosses : Workplace: Streets Supt. James D. Weeks, a down-to-earth guy, is called tough and fair. He cites honesty as a secret of his success.

He’s the big cheese in charge of street cleaning, the head honcho of pothole patching, the top dog in a dirty job.

Plus, James D. Weeks, Oxnard’s streets superintendent, could win a popularity contest at the office--well, on most days anyway.

Weeks, a down-to-earth guy who loves to play poker and smoke Marlboro Light cigarettes, recently was named Ventura County’s Boss of the Year by the Professional Secretaries International.

His employees say he’s fair and kind.

“He’s tough,” said Weeks’ secretary, Wilma Flagg. “He sticks to the rules. But he cares about his employees. His door is always open.”

Wednesday, National Boss’ Day, Weeks relaxed a moment in his office at the city yard in the industrial underbelly of Oxnard and discussed the secrets of his success.

“If you are good to your employees, they will be good to you,” said Weeks, 48. “It’s important to establish a good line of communication and above all be honest.

“Once you deceive your employees, you’ve lost them.”

When Weeks, who oversees about 40 people, took over the job of keeping up Oxnard’s streets about a year ago, he found that the road crews were largely uninformed about what was going on in the office.

The workers--out cleaning storm drains, removing graffiti and patching chuckholes--heard rumors of layoffs as the city faced budget cuts. They were worried.

He decided to set up meetings every two weeks to clear the air. The gatherings in the office--called tailgate meetings since the workers all drive trucks--have continued.

He told workers that they were not in danger of being laid off.

But, he said, the budget would be tight.

Flagg said the city crews have had so many cutbacks they are short-handed, but “he tried to raise the morale of the crew.”

Weeks also encouraged his crews to attend seminars and scraped together funds to send them to workshops.

He had a doctor come in to lecture workers on how to reduce stress and avoid job-related injuries.

“It’s important to work smarter than harder,” Weeks said.

And most of his employees say his approach has worked.

Said Civil Engineer Bob Reitz: “He’s the best boss I’ve ever worked for. He notices our hard work, and he lets us know.”

Everyone in the office isn’t always happy. Charles Leighton, who supervises traffic safety and parking lots, flipped through a stack of paperwork Weeks had asked him to complete.

“He delegates quite a bit,” Leighton said. “This Mickey Mouse stuff, we don’t have the time to do it properly.”

But Leighton quickly added: “Really, I have no problem with him.”

Last week, Weeks received the Boss of the Year award at a dinner sponsored by the Anacapa Chapter of Professional Secretaries International, a nonprofit organization that has about 27 members countywide. The group provides educational resources and job opportunities to secretaries worldwide.

Weeks, a former Seabee who has been working for Oxnard for nearly five years, was nominated by his current and former secretaries, both members of the group. He was selected over two other nominees whose names were not disclosed.

Pam Conley, his former secretary, said of Weeks: “He loses paperwork. He smokes. And he’s a dedicated poker player, I’ll give him that much.

“But he treats us with respect,” she said. “And he’s ethical.”