Longtime city manager of Tustin to retire in July
Huston counts development of Tustin Ranch among his achievements.
BY ELYSSE JAMES
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
TUSTIN City Manager William Huston will be retiring in July, after nearly 30 years in the position.
Huston’s last day is July 17, after he finalizes the city budget for next year. Over the next few months, Huston will be negotiating an agreement with Shea Properties and Shea Homes to back out of a deal on the former Marine base. He also hopes to jump-start the Tustin Ranch Road extension.
In his time with the city, Huston said he’s most proud of the Tustin Ranch development, which began as a field of orange groves and ended this year with the opening of Citrus Ranch Park.
“It was personally satisfying to be involved from the very beginning to the very end,” Huston said. Another fun project has been the redevelopment of the former Tustin Marine base. The base closure was a great opportunity, though it was challenging and a lot of work, he said.
“Were there things we could have done differently? I don’t think so,” Huston said. “(The project) was complex from day one.”
The project is a slowgrowing development project, planned to be completed over 20 years.
“I hope the future council will stick with that and not cave in to the pressure of instant gratification,” he said. “The long-range planning of a community takes time and sometimes patience.”
He’s also worked on the creation of recreation areas; a senior center and civic center; the new Tustin Library; and revamping Old Town Tustin, starting with landscaping and installing brick pavers and benches.
And Huston worked to make the city a professional, ethical, customer service-based organization, he said. Huston will miss the day-to-day interaction with city staff members and observing how people help each other in times of need, he said.
“It’s good to see how people watch out for each other. You miss that.”
Huston likens being city manager to directing an orchestra.
“There are all these musicians. I can’t play the cello or piano or sing opera, but a leader’s job is to keep everyone on the same song,” he said. “You have to have some degree of knowledge of a variety of disciplines so you know what is going on and how to steer that orchestra.”
In the days before he leaves the city, Huston plans to take a short vacation to see the Formula 1 Grand Priz du Canada in Montreal.
Come mid-July, Huston will be spending his days remodeling his Tustin Ranch home, hiking with his wife, volunteering and travelling. He’s also planning to reorganize his garage, something he’s wanted to do for 20 years.