County planning director to step down

Santa Cruz County Planning Director Tom Burns announced recently that he will step down from the position he’s held for six years.
Burns and his two assistant deputy directors, Mark Demming and David Lee, all will leave their positions at the end of the year. The departures leave the top slots in the planning department open so the next director can choose a team.
“It’s been a very good six years,” Burns said last week. “I think we’ve gotten a lot of things done.”
Burns said that when he took the position, he made a five-year commitment to the post. He remained for an extra year to help the department with a glut of unfinished business and the cutback from 100 to 80 employees, he said, and now it’s time to move on.
“I think he’s done a great job for the county,” Supervisor Mark Stone said. “They’re tough shoes to fill.”
Burns noted that when he became director, his goal was to improve the culture in the department and to enforce code compliance in a more reasonable fashion.
He also said he tried to reduce red tape for property owners.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress on that front,” he said.
Burns does not downplay the challenges of the position — it’s impossible to please those who want more property rights while balancing the call for more regulation from the other side.
“Santa Cruz is a colorful place,” he said. “You never know from day to day what the issues are going to be.”
Burns, 55, spent a decade with the planning department, beginning in 1977, before moving to the redevelopment agency for the next 15.
Burns said he will not endorse anyone for the job — instead leaving it to Susan Mauriello, county administrative officer, and her staff to do the hiring — though he would give input if asked. He said his top goal is to help the transition between directors go as smoothly as possible in the year ahead.
The application period is open until Oct. 9 for the planning director position, with a starting annual salary of $145,475.