Bob Manis, director of Development Services for the City of Poway, closed the chapter on close to a 40-year career in public service this week. At the Tuesday, June 4 Poway City Council meeting, City Manager Chris Hazeltine recognized Manis for his 16 years of dedicated service in Poway, estimating he probably attended more than 4,000 public meetings during that time.
The mayor and councilmembers all paid tribute to Manis.
“You’re going to be missed for your institutional knowledge, your grace under fire, and your patience,” Mayor Steve Vaus said, adding that any time he went to Manis with constituent issues, Manis always found a way to help.
“I’ve appreciated your steady presence,” Deputy Mayor Caylin Frank observed, saying that she has never seen him get flustered, even when it may have been warranted.
“I’ve always had a million questions for you and I’m so thankful that you’ve educated me and increased my knowledge about that [land use] area of government.”
Council members Anita Edmondson, Peter De Hoff and Brian Pepin echoed those sentiments in their praise of Manis, with Edmundson adding that serving as Development Services director or any role in that department is not for the faint of heart.
“You’re often bearing the brunt of the public feedback, unfortunately,” she said, “and I don’t think most people would last one day, let alone 16 years in this role so kudos to you for that.”
“You’ve left big shoes to fill,” De Hoff said, “but also put a structure in place that will serve the city well for years to come.”
Mayor Vaus also read messages from former councilmember John Mullin and resident Kevin McNamara.
Mullin thanked Manis for his thoughtful, capable service over the years, saying that it is a difficult and under-appreciated job that Manis performed with grace.
“Bob always stood up for the city,” McNamara said. “He never backed down on the process, the innumerable requirements, or what the plan was trying to achieve.”
Manis said that he will miss his work “family,” but knows they will carry on with the hard work.
“We get a lot of mandates from Sacramento,” he said. “I think we are doing a really good job in Poway implementing those requirements, but still keeping the Poway vision in the back of our minds. It’s a balancing act that I think we’ve gotten pretty good at.”