Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Retirements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Santa Maria honors long-serving recreation director Alex Posada and public information manager Mark Van de Kamp
Summary
The Santa Maria City Council on Dec. 2 recognized Alexander "Alex" Posada for 46½ years in recreation and parks and Mark Van de Kamp for nearly 22 years in public information, highlighting expanded parks, bilingual communications and community partnerships ahead of both officials’ retirements.
The Santa Maria City Council on Dec. 2 honored two longtime city employees, recognizing Alexander "Alex" Posada for 46½ years as director of Recreation and Parks and Mark Van de Kamp for nearly 22 years as the city's public information manager.
Posada was recognized in a council resolution that credited him with helping expand the city's recreation facilities from two to 10 and its parks from nine to 33 since 1979. The resolution also notes that Posada helped organize the nonprofit People for Leisure and Youth (PLAY), which has raised more than $5,000,000 to support recreation and park services in the Santa Maria Valley, and states that the Santa Maria Sports Complex is scheduled to open in 2026. The resolution says Posada will retire on Dec. 5.
Accepting the honor, Posada thanked the council and his family, praised staff and partners, and reflected on teamwork that enabled programs and facility growth. "I'm gonna try and handle this like a staff report so that I don't get overly emotional about it," he said, later naming Dennis Smitherman as interim director who will take over this week.
The council also adopted a resolution commending Mark Van de Kamp for nearly 22 years of service. The document credited Van de Kamp with coordinating bilingual communications across city departments, launching the city's social media and television presence, leading live captioning for public meetings, coordinating census outreach in 2010 and 2020, and serving on or leading local nonprofit boards. The resolution states Van de Kamp will retire on Dec. 27.
Van de Kamp told the council he felt "blessed" by the opportunity to serve and thanked mayors, city managers, coworkers and local journalists who work with the city. "Today, I can finally express my gratitude to all of you," he said.
Council members and colleagues offered personal tributes to both employees during the meeting, praising their institutional knowledge, steady leadership during emergencies and long involvement in community organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary and local nonprofits. City Manager David Rollins thanked both employees for their support during his first year on the job.
Both resolutions will be entered into the official record; Posada's retirement is effective Dec. 5 and Van de Kamp's on Dec. 27. City staff said interim leadership and transition plans are in place for Posada's department.
