The past year has been a pivotal one for Cloverdale City Manager Paul Cayler.
Cayler was an incident commander at the city's Emergency Operations Center during the October fires that decimated much of North Bay. With Fire Chief Jason Jennings out of town with a strike team, Cayler found himself in charge of much of the operation. He worked around the clock, coordinating shelter plans and media inquiries.
“He also directed Public Works to check the city’s water tanks to ensure they were all topped off,” said then mayor Gus Wolter.
Through it all, Cayler barely slept.
Now it’s time for a change of pace. Cayler will retire at the end of the month, concluding a 30-year career in public administration. He is moving with his family to Chico so that he can be closer to his 92-year-old mother.
Those North Bay fires were a turning point for him. They were a reminder of just how fragile and fleeting life is.
“I want to spend more time focusing on health, wellness and relationships,” said Cayler. “I’ve already started a walking regime to lose weight and I’m making a concerted effort to get my eating habits back in line with a healthy lifestyle. I especially look forward to spending more quality time with my wife and being able to visit my mom more often.”
Cayler began his career in public service as an administrative intern for the City of Redding in 1988. He went on to work for Mendocino County and the cities of Ukiah and Willits before landing a job as Cloverdale’s city manager several years ago.
Cloverdale has already selected Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director David Kelley to replace Cayler. He’ll take over on March 31.