Santa Rosa’s public works director Rick Moshier retires

When he was a little kid, Rick Moshier loved nothing better than to get together with his friends and build stuff.

“That’s what I did when I was 5, and I got to keep on doing it,” said Santa Rosa’s longtime public works director, who retired this week after 33 years with the city. “That’s pretty darn cool.”

Moshier, 60, was praised by city officials recently as an experienced engineer, a thoughtful manager and a straight shooter who helped council members understand the challenges and complexities of public works projects.

Mayor John Sawyer said he appreciated the way Moshier respected council members and tried to accommodate their ideas.

“I rarely heard you say, at least at first, ‘No.’ It was always, ‘Well, I think we might be able to do something with that,’?” Sawyer told Moshier during a recent council meeting.

Moshier came to Sonoma County after college in the 1970s to work as an engineer at The Geysers. He later joined a local engineering firm and was hired by the city as an assistant engineer in 1981.

He rose through the ranks to become director of the Public Works Department in 2001. In a 2011 reorganization meant to save the city money, his position was expanded to include oversight of the Transportation Department. Moshier, who earned a salary of $169,320 last year, received no additional compensation despite the additional responsibilities over a large city department.

Along the way, he was involved in some major public works projects, including the construction of Delta Pond, which significantly increased the city’s ability to store treated waste water; the Prince Memorial Greenway, which improved the environment and access along Santa Rosa Creek; and the Stony Point Road freeway interchange.

He was part of a statewide group that helped streamline the process for federal funding of local transportation projects. He also has been a steady advocate for increasing funding for road maintenance, something the financial pressures on the city have made more challenging.

“My concern is that it will be so much more expensive to address later,” Moshier said.

Employees said Moshier was fun to work for because he shared his knowledge and encouraged an open, collaborative environment. He said he hopes more young people consider careers in public service, in general and civil engineering in particular.

Outside of work, Moshier has some offbeat interests. He’s an avid pianist, obsessive collector of sheet music and an accomplished toastmaster with a penchant for leavening his presentations with a whimsical vernacular.

He’s also a self-described cheapskate. He owns a 2001 Dodge van and a 1966 Impala, but his favorite car is the 1992 Geo Metro convertible he purchased used for $1,500. It’s got a leaky roof and he says it is “scary as heck” to drive at highway speeds, but he loves it because the three-cylinder engine gets about 50 mpg, he said.

“It’s a kick for me to have something I like that doesn’t cost that much,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. ?On Twitter @srcitybeat.