TOONE TO STEP DOWN IN JANUARY PALMDALE'S CITY MANAGER PLANS TO RETIRE AFTER 2 DECADES OF SERVICE.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- City Manager Bob Toone, who guided Palmdale's growth from a town of about 30,000 people to a community of more than 130,000, plans to retire in January after two decades as its top administrator.

Toone, whose contract runs through 2009, informed the City Council in a closed session Wednesday night of his retirement plans.

Toone was not in City Hall on Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

``It was pretty surprising,'' Councilman Tom Lackey said. ``He said that he felt that after 20 years of hard work, it was time to let someone else have the responsibility, and that it was time for him to move on to the next phase of his life.''

Lackey said he was happy for Toone, but that the city is losing a proven leader.

Mayor Jim Ledford credited Toone with keeping the city on sound fiscal footing and creating a top flight municipal organization.

One of Toone's top accomplishments, Ledford said, was winning the competition with Lancaster in the late 1980s for the Antelope Valley Mall, setting the stage for Palmdale to overtake Lancaster as the valley's retail center. Palmdale also overtook Lancaster in population, after starting Toone's tenure at little more than a quarter of Lancaster's size.

``He is responsible for bringing us into the 21st century,'' Ledford said. ``He was the right man for the right time for our city.''

Under Toone, the city has seen the development of the 10th Street West retail corridor, the development of the auto mall, the creation of two regional parks, and the building of the transportation center.

Toone was hired as city manager in October 1986. At the time, the city had gone through two city managers in the previous 2 1/2 years.

A Tacoma, Wash., native, Toone had been the assistant city manager in La Mesa, a San Diego County city. Prior to that, Toone worked in city government in two Illinois cities.

Toone holds a bachelor's degree in history and political science and a master of public administration degree from Brigham Young University School of Management. He also holds a juris doctorate from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.

In 2002, Toone's future with the city was in doubt as a divided City Council argued over whether to extend his contract and for what length. The debate eventually ended in a 3-2 vote for a two-year contract extension with Councilman Mike Dispenza and then-councilman Rick Norris in opposition.

In 2004, the council on a 4-1 vote extended Toone's contract through 2009 with a provision for a three-year extension. Dispenza voted against the contract, stating it was too long.

Ledford said he expects the council will begin discussing how to find a successor to Toone at its Sept. 20 meeting.

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