The retirements of two employees from the City of Santa Maria will mean the loss of a combined seven decades of institutional memory — and a steady supply of dad jokes.

Recreation and Parks Director Alex Posada, with nearly 47 years, and Mark van de Kamp, public information manager who has worked for Santa Maria for almost 22 years, intend to retire this month. Posada’s last day is set for Friday, while van de Kamp’s is planned for later in the month.

The Santa Maria City Council recognized both men during Tuesday night’s meeting.

“This is a tough council meeting because two at a time, two people that have been, for so many years, with us. It’s going to be hard to fill those shoes,” Councilman Carlos Escobedo said.

Alex Posada Leaves Rec and Parks Legacy

With a new grandchild on the way, Posada said he decided it’s time to retire, thanking the community for the support.

“I think I’ve had a great run, and we’ve been able to do some great projects,” Posada told Noozhawk, noting city councils, developers and other city staff for varying types of support. 

He also recognized the department’s staff led by Dennis Smitherman in securing $15 million in grant funds from the state to spur projects from proposal to construction.

His career spanned several jobs with the Recreation and Parks Department, rising to the top job.

By far, he has been the longest-serving department head in the city and is believed to be the longest tenured employee in the city’s 120-year history.

“He’s always had the heart of service. It’s always come from a place of serving his community through all the organizations he’s involved in and all the work he’s done for the city,” Councilwoman Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez said.

He also spent approximately a year as interim city manager after the 2023 retirement of Jason Stilwell and before the arrival David Rowlands last year.

Posada first was hired full time as a recreational specialist, was promoted to recreation supervisor in 1981 and to director in 1993.

Under his reign, the department has added new parks and centers, but his departure will come as two key projects remain in the works. 

The Japanese Cultural Community Center is nearing completion and most likely will be unveiled early next year. 

Construction has started on a sports complex that has been in the works for at least 10 years and most likely will be ready for use in late 2026 or early 2027.

Under his tenure, the city’s number of parks and recreation facilities has more than tripled.

Posada’s community involvement includes the Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria and United Way, and he is a longtime supporter of the Special Olympics, among other interests. 

Through the years, businesses have stepped up to sponsor events along with service clubs and community members offering support.

“It’s that type of community spirit that keeps Santa Maria what it is, and that’s a great place to live,” Posada said Tuesday night.

In his retirement, Posada plans to remain in Santa Maria and stay involved with People for Leisure and Youth, or PLAY, a nonprofit organization formed to help raise funds and collect donations for Santa Maria’s recreation programs and parks.

Van de Kamp Delivers Information, Dad Jokes 

Van de Kamp joined the city in March 2004 after working for 17 years as an award-winning reporter for various newspapers, leaving behind “a great career with journalism.”

“I joined the city 22 years ago because I wanted to continue my passion for communications and to help make things happen, to help this organization and our great community to grow and improve,” van de Kamp said Tuesday night.

His role expanded to include coordinating the city’s efforts for the U.S. Census, education about illegal fireworks, and more. 

He also served as a volunteer co-chair of the Measure U committees to get sales tax hikes approved by voters twice to boost city coffers. Measure U funding now supports 19% of positions for Santa Maria, leading Mayor Alice Patino to call the impact on city coffers “enormous.”

“What was rewarding is the community twice believed in us, trusted us,” van de Kamp said, noting that the two tax measures received significant support. 

“That’s a pretty good track record. I remind people we have to keep earning that respect; they won’t just give it to you,” he said. 

During his tenure, van de Kamp said, he improved communication, including issuing news releases in English and Spanish, launched the city’s social media presence, led the redesign of the city website and spearheaded efforts to improve the audio-visual system in the City Council chambers.

“What we do as city employees is a public service. Our jobs exist to serve everyone — and I mean everyone,” van de Kamp said. “There really is power in giving back to your community. Sometimes we may not see or fully understand our individual impact, and sometimes we may think in the picture it is irrelevant. In truth, each of those makes a difference.”

There’s no shortage of opportunities or variety of duties, according to van de Kamp, who could be seen leading tours of the historic Santa Maria City Hall. 

He founded a city chapter of Toastmasters, earning the status of Distinguished Toastmaster, and formerly was president of the Central Coast Literacy Council.

At times, he served as a city liaison for the tourism marketing district and belonged to the countywide Emergency Public Information Coordinators (EPIC) group, Leadership Santa Maria Valley, Serve Santa Maria and the UCSB Economic Forecast Project. 

Often serving as the face of the city for news stories, van de Kamp revealed his journalism roots with a special message for media members.

“Readers, viewers and listeners understand how essential it is to have dependable and accurate local news sources,” he said, adding that he still has a few weeks to deliver more dad jokes before offering up one on Tuesday. 

“Here goes. I know some jokes about retired people, but none of them work,” van de Kamp said, prompting laughter and groans.