SLO County CSD elects new president, appoints interim general manager
The Oceano Community Services District is under new leadership following a vote to elect a new president and hire an interim general manager.
At its Dec. 13 meeting, Director Charles Varni was elected president of the board of directors in a 3-2 vote, with Directors Linda Austin and Shirley Gibson opposing.
Varni will be joined by Director Beverly Joyce-Suneson, who was unanimously elected vice president of the board.
The two will serve in the positions for a year.
The board also voted 5-0 to hire Paavo Ogren as its interim general manager, following the Oct. 25 retirement of former general manager Will Clemens.
Ogren has occupied several local government positions in San Luis Obispo County, serving as general manager to the Oceano CSD, general manager of the Cambria Community Services District, San Luis Obispo County public works director and interim director of the Integrated Waste Management Authority.
Because Ogren is already retired within CalPERS, which manages the pension and health benefits of California public employees, he can only work 960 hours per fiscal year, legal counsel Daniel Cheung told the board.
In his interim position — which starts Jan. 1, 2024, and runs no later than Dec. 31, 2024 — Ogren will make $99.38 per hour, Cheung said.
Ogren said he didn’t expect to be in the position long.
“The job is to work with your board in order to find a permanent replacement,” Ogren said during the meeting.
The Oceano CSD is still in need of a new legal counsel following the Oct. 13 resignation of legal firm Adamski, Moroski, Madden, Cumberland & Green, but the board voted to delay that discussion — along with committee assignments — to next year.
This story was originally published December 18, 2023 at 1:52 PM.
