SAN CLEMENTE : Finance Director to Retire on Jan. 8

Finance Director Dean Porter, who helped guide the city through increasingly difficult economic times, has announced his retirement, effective Jan. 8.

“Dean has always been a source of dependability and has provided great stability to the department in his 12 years with the city,” City Manager Michael W. Parness said.

Mayor Truman Benedict said Porter’s “presence, sense of duty and hard work will be missed by all.”

Porter, 60, whose municipal government career spans 32 years, joined the city in June, 1980, after he served as the finance director and village treasurer in Oak Park, Ill. Through the years in San Clemente, Porter said, “the department and the people in it have earned the respect of many and are perceived as individuals who are dedicated, honest and have a high level of integrity.”

His retirement will come just as the city begins work on the 1993-94 budget. Assistant Finance Director Michael White will serve as interim finance director, Parness said.

A final decision on filling the position will not be made until early February, when the City Council is expected to consider a long-term financial plan that is being prepared, Parness said.