By Nick Diamantides, Staff Writer
Vivian Munson said goodbye to the City of Signal Hill last week after 21 years as part of the City Hall team. “She did a terrific job during all her years here,” said City Manager Ken Farfsing. “The city was lucky to have her.”
For the last eight years, Munson served as deputy city clerk and executive assistant to the city manager and city council. Originally hired in 1986 as an administrative secretary in the planning department, she held various positions–including secretary to the deputy city manager–until being promoted to her most recent post.
Munson was recently hired as Lake Elsinore city clerk and she will begin her duties there on September 10.
Munson lives in San Bernardino with her husband Shawn. Since moving there five years ago, she has commuted 150 miles roundtrip per day.
“I am looking forward to a much shorter drive to work,” she said with a chuckle.
Munson said her most memorable experience at City Hall was the March 2007 election, in which incumbent councilman Larry Forester beat challenger Nancy Long by one vote after a recount. (The original count gave the victory to Long by nine votes. Long is currently challenging the final election results in court.)
Munson said the pressure she and other staff experienced during the election was intense. “I really had to know my stuff, make sure I was doing everything exactly right and make certain I was following the requirements of the (United States) Department of Justice (DOJ),” she said, explaining that in recent years, the DOJ has watched cities very closely to ensure compliance with newly mandated foreign language requirements.
Adding to the stress of the election, an uncounted ballot was discovered stuck in the lid of a ballot box after the results had been tallied. “It would not have changed the ultimate result,” she noted. “If it had been counted, Larry Forester would have won by two votes instead of one.”
Another one of Munson’s memorable experiences was the controversy engulfing developer Southwest Diversified’s (SWD) plans to develop the hilltop about 17 years ago.
At that time city residents were bitterly divided over the proposed density of the development. Eventually, the city council approved a plan greatly reducing the number of residences to be built, SWD withdrew and another developer took over the project.
“I was working in the planning department and all that was happening created a lot of work for us,” Munson said. “At that time, the hilltop had only about 30 homes, and now it has been beautifully developed with a number of million-dollar homes. Everything turned out okay.”
Signal Hill encompasses 2.2 square miles and has a little more than 11,000 residents. Lake Elsinore encompasses 38 square miles and has about 46,000 residents.
Signal Hill City Clerk Kathee Pacheco has had Munson and one part-time employee on her staff. At Lake Elsinore, Munson will have two full-time employees on her staff.
“The people I have worked with at city hall are like family to me,” Munson said. “I feel sad to leave them, but I am looking forward to the challenges of my new job.” She noted that she plans to visit when time permits.
“Vivian was a dedicated, hard-working person that always gave 110 percent,” Pacheco said. “She will be missed and finding the right person to replace her may take some time. I wish her all the best in her professional and personal endeavors.”
Farfsing added that the city hopes to hire a person for the vacant position by October or November. Until then the city will probably hire someone part-time to take over some of Munson’s duties.
