A former Pismo Beach councilman and planning commissioner was honored this week as the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 Citizen of the Year.

Ted Ehring, who served six years on the Pismo Beach City Council, received the award during the chamber’s annual dinner Thursday.

Ehring “has been deserving of this award for over a decade,” chamber board Vice President Marc Lebed said in presenting the award.

Ehring was elected to a two-year term on the city council in 2006, and re-elected in 2008 to a four-year term. He also served six years on the city’s planning commission starting in 2000.

Lebed said Ehring served on one of the most productive, forward-thinking councils the city has had — a council that has, he added, “established the fundamentals for sane, productive and safe growth.”

Ehring, a USC alumnus and geologist, thanked the chamber, the citizens who supported him over the years and the city’s staff and council members. “It’s been a really great ride with these people,” he said. “It’s a great team.”

The Pismo Beach City Council recognized Ehring during his last council meeting in December, noting his staunch support of Dinosaur Caves Park, his dedication to public safety and his role in approving the city’s new sewage treatment plant, which was completed in 2006.