Newly named Ontario city manager has been preparing for post

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Fire Chief Chris Hughes has been preparing for three years to be the next city manager.

On Tuesday night, his time came as the City Council unanimously agreed to have him replace outgoing manager Greg Devereaux.

Less than 24 hours after Hughes got the job, the Rancho Cucamonga resident talked about his tenure with Ontario and what the future might bring.

"The next month I will be Greg's shadow and going through an intensive transition," Hughes said. "It'll be a challenging 30 days."

On Feb. 12, after his contract details have been worked out with the city, Hughes will become the city manager.

Fire Chief Chris Hughes has been preparing for three years to be the next city manager.

On Tuesday night, his time came as the City Council unanimously agreed to have him replace outgoing manager Greg Devereaux.

Less than 24 hours after Hughes got the job, the Rancho Cucamonga resident talked about his tenure with Ontario and what the future might bring.

"The next month I will be Greg's shadow and going through an intensive transition," Hughes said. "It'll be a challenging 30 days."

On Feb. 12, after his contract details have been worked out with the city, Hughes will become the city manager.

But over the last three years, Hughes wasn't sure when that day would come.

Hughes,

Ontario Fire Chief Chris Hughes, right, will take over the duties of city manager from Greg Devereaux, left, who was appointed San Bernardino County's new administrative officer. (Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino/Staff Photographer)
46, was being trained to replace Devereaux as part of the city's succession plan, which aims to make a smooth transition between a departing staff member and the replacement.

Since there never was a start date, Hughes said he didn't think it would come this quickly.

It was Hughes' presence in the city and his leadership that prompted Devereaux to consider him as his replacement.

"We built a strong organization and team," Devereaux said. "It was essential for the council to appoint someone who keeps the team in place, someone they know and trusted. That was Chris."

Devereaux said there is no set path for any administrator to get into the role.

For the past two years, Hughes has been getting his feet wet on city issues, attending conferences and classes offered by the California Redevelopment Association and the California League of Cities. He attended seminars through the California City Managers Foundation, which are held for those hoping to become city managers.

He has been an active member of the New Model Colony Policy Group in the city as well as the General Plan process.

"What most people don't know is all the work and time (Hughes) has put in besides being fire chief," Mayor Paul Leon said. "I respect him for that because he didn't have to do that."

In many ways, being fire chief has helped him prepare for the job, Hughes said.

The Fire Department by nature is involved with several departments such as working on plan checks as well as having a vested interest in issues such as land use, he said.

For Hughes, there was a moment of uncertainty. The hesitation came internally and had more to do with his determining if he was ready for the job.

"I'm always up for the professional challenge," Hughes said. "The fact that the council had the confidence in me - you don't do it if they don't - then I knew I could do the job."

Hughes said he also got the blessing from his wife, Patti, and their three grown children.

The city is built on relationships with city staff and with residents, Councilman Alan Wapner said.

For 22 years, Hughes has been a part of building those relationships and a key executive of the city staff.

That's why Wapner felt Hughes was the right choice.

While Hughes has been groomed for the city manager post for some time, Wapner said he will "get a lot of on-the-job training as well."

But on Tuesday, several council members said continuity and stability were other reasons Hughes was selected.

"Nothing is going to change, no offense to Greg, but we're just going to keep moving forward," Wapner said.

For Leon, the decision was easy.

"I don't think we'll be losing staff with (Hughes) there," he said.

Oftentimes, Leon said, you lose staff because your city leader has left.

Councilman Jim Bowman said Hughes has the respect of city staff.

"His eyes are wide open. He gets it," Bowman said. "The continuity will continue and we are here to work with you collectively."

Born in Santa Monica, Hughes was the first in his family to enter fire service.

By the age of 22, Hughes had gone through a series of jobs that weren't clicking. That was until he took a course in EMT "and fell in love" with the profession, he said.

He would go on to take courses at Mt. San Antonio College. He began with the city of Ontario in 1988 as a firefighter and EMT.

"Once you get bit by that bug, that's it," he said.

Since 1997, Hughes has assumed several positions, including fire captain, fire training captain and deputy fire chief. He was promoted to fire chief in December 2004.

Ryan Lewis, fire engineer and president of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, has worked with Hughes for a little more than 12 years.

"He is a stand-up individual," he said. "He's done it all in our department. ... I don't think everybody understands all that he has to offer."

During his tenure, Hughes has always had an open-door policy, Lewis said.

Oftentimes, when a fire chief has been in that role for a while, they lose their connection with staff but that hasn't been the case with Hughes, he said.

"Chris has stayed engaged and on top of new hires," Lewis said. "He's going to be a tremendous loss but a tremendous gain for the city."

When Hughes moved into his first administrative role with the department, he said it was a significant change.

"When you step into a supervising role, you have to remember you live and work with these people. So when you supervise, it's tough," he said.

And each time he was promoted, his goal was to leave that post "better than what you found it," he said.

While the city manager decision came quickly, Hughes said he is still contemplating who will replace him as fire chief.

But he admits it is only starting to set in that he will be leaving his "brotherhood."

"I love my job. I love being a fire chief," he said. "But this is my family. I've spent many days and nights with these guys."

Aside from his role with the department, Hughes is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fire Protection Association and the California Fire Chiefs Association.

He is first vice president of the San Bernardino County Fire Chiefs Association and chairman of the West End Fire Emergency Response Commission.

In any transition, the first 100 days are key.

Within the first couple of weeks of assuming the job, Hughes said, he wants to sit down with the council members and determine if their goals have changed.

"I'm going to be stepping into the city Greg built," he said. "The foundation and economy is stable.

"I will come in and bring consistency and manage the city. I'm not looking for drastic changes. But those are big shoes to fill."


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About this blog

Liset Márquez has covered the city of Ontario for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2008. She started the OntarioNow blog in August 2008. To contact Liset, leave a comment on this blog or send an e-mail to Liset Marquez

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This page contains a single entry by Liset Marquez published on January 14, 2010 4:32 PM.

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