Sanitation District Picks New Manager

William R. Smith, the former city manager of Westminster, has been named general manager of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District.

The district is in charge of regional sanitation issues in Ventura County, and its member agencies include Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Santa Paula and Thousand Oaks, as well as special sanitation districts. It oversees 10 waste-water treatment facilities and manages two sanitation districts--Triunfo in the eastern portion of the county, and the Saticoy Sanitation District.

In addition, the district operates the now-closed Bailard Landfill near Oxnard and recently won the right to expand the Toland Road Landfill near Santa Paula.

Regional sanitation district Chairwoman Judy Lazar said Smith’s budget skills and background in local government make him the perfect person for the job, which pays more than $104,000 per year. He takes over April 21.

In the two years he served as Westminster city manager, a multimillion-dollar deficit was reduced to zero and crime fell 17%, all in an atmosphere of bankruptcy and finger-pointing, Smith said. At the same time, city services improved, he said.

This is not Smith’s first job with a sanitation district. For five years, he served on the board of directors of the Monterey Regional Solid Waste Management District.

Smith earned a master’s degree in public administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He served as an officer in the Marine Corps for 20 years before starting his career in local government. Before moving to Westminster in 1994, Smith was city manager of Manhattan Beach.

Smith replaces Ed McCombs who served as interim manager from November 1995 to December 1996.