Works Chief Named Acting City Manager
Public Works Director Don Vestal has been appointed acting city manager until a successor is found for Bill Smith, who notified the city earlier this month of his resignation.
“We’ve observed him over time, and we have the utmost confidence that he can do the job,” Mayor Frank Fry Jr. said of Vestal.
Smith, Westminster’s city manager since September 1994, will leave April 18 to become general manager of the Ventura County Sanitation Districts.
Vestal, who also serves as deputy city manager, was recommended by Smith for the interim post.
Vestal, 48, has 22 years of experience in municipal government and began working in Westminster in 1977 as a city planner.
Fry said that Vestal’s 20 years with the city have given him a thorough understanding of its operations and budget issues.
“He has the knowledge, and he runs a very tight ship,” Fry said.
Smith, described by county Supervisor and former city Mayor Charles V. Smith as “the best city manager that Westminster has had,” resigned March 7, citing a desire for new challenges and to work in a more positive atmosphere.
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