Official Agrees to Be Interim City Manager

Finance Director Greg Beaubien has reluctantly agreed to fill the city’s top post temporarily after City Manager Kevin O’Rourke steps down Feb. 28.

“City manager is not a position I aspire to. I like what I do now,” Beaubien said. “But somebody has to do it.”

The City Council will vote on Beaubien’s appointment to the interim position in mid-February after a contract has been negotiated, Mayor Arthur C. Brown said.

The five council members decided informally this week that Beaubien would be the best person for the job because he has finance expertise, and the city faces a fiscal crisis: a $2-million budget deficit and campaign to pass a ballot measure that would increase the utility tax.

Council members said the search for a permanent city manager could take six months or longer.

Police Chief Richard M. Tefank and Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Wes Morgan both volunteered their services.

“Any of the three would have done a great job,” Brown said. But, “with Greg’s financial knowledge, we all felt he would be best.”

Beaubien, 45, holds a degree in public administration from Cal State Dominguez Hills and was interim city manager in Stanton before taking the Buena Park position six years ago. Before that, he held finance offices in Rancho Palos Verdes, Seaside and Lynwood.

Beaubien said he will continue to be head of finance in Buena Park during his stint as interim city manager and hopes to make his short reign a team effort.

“All of the department heads will pick up a little bit of the load,” he said. “I’m just going to coordinate so things get done.”