Visalia Assistant City Manager Carol Cairns will retire July 4 after a 36-year career.
Cairns said she has been contemplating retirement for awhile, but decided now is the right time financially. And at age 60, "you start looking at things differently," she said.
Still, "this has been my home and my family for over 36 years," Cairns said, and she'll miss working with everyone. But she's not leaving the area and plans to start a consulting business with a friend.
Cairns was hired in 1971 as the city's first female police officer, when Ray Forsyth was police chief, Harry Tow was city manager and the population was 28,950.
In 1983, city manager Ted Gaebler promoted her to human resources director. At various points, Cairns has had responsibility for every city department. In all, she has served under six city managers. She served as acting interim city manager three times.
" 'Your mother was a lady, and a lady always knows when it is time to leave,' " Cairns said, quoting her favorite line in the movie ''Fried Green Tomatoes.'' "It's my fondest hope that I would always represent the community, the organization and the council as a lady, and now it's time for this lady to leave."
BETSY WOLFE: Broadway singer Betsy Wolfe performs on Monday at the Fox Theatre in Visalia to raise money for a summer jobs program for at-risk youths. Business leader Stan Simpson of Visalia arranged the fundraiser.
Wolfe's pals from the world of theater, pianist Bryan Perri and actor Danny Gurwin, will join her on stage. Perri is musical director of "Wicked," now in Los Angeles, and Gurwin performs on Broadway.
Wolfe, a Golden West High School alum, has invited students who were in ''West Side Story'' to come on stage to sing "Somewhere."
Simpson said Proteus will put 50 youths in summer jobs if the community raises $50,000.
Tickets are $50. Showtime: 7:30 p.m. Info: (559) 635-3522.
LEAFLETS: Visalia teachers passed out fliers to parents before school Wednesday urging them to contact state legislators.
"Say no to education budget cuts," the flier stated. "Slashing $4.8 billion from our schools is the equivalent of laying off more than 107,00 teachers."
Karl Kildow, Visalia Unified Teachers Association president, said it coincided with Day of the Teacher.
Gov. Schwarzenegger once suggested across-the-board cuts to balance the state budget, but cuts to education may not be in the mix anymore. The day that the fliers went out, the Governor's Office announced full funding for schools, though with no inflation increase.
School board President Juan Guerrero said teachers and the school board are on the same page this year when it comes to money for schools.
"We try to talk to each other, and where we can agree, we do," Guerrero said. He said he'll travel with the teachers union to Sacramento on May 20 to urge legislators not to cut education.
E-mail story
Printer friendly page
Subscribe to Print
