27 years of service (December 16, 2015)

Assistant Town Manager Cron retires, worked alongside every Town Council

APPLE VALLEY — Assistant Town Manager Dennis Cron is scheduled to retire at the end of the year after a nearly 30-year career.

Cron was honored at the Dec. 8 Town Council meeting by City Manager Frank Robinson who congratulated Cron on 27 very solid, committed years of service to the town.

You have been such a joy to have around Town Hall all these years, Robinson told Cron.

Cron was unaware Robinson and the Town Council had planned the presentation during which he received a clock that came with the message, Time to stop living at work and start working on living.

In October 1988 — one month before the town was incorporated — Cron accepted a position with the Apple Valley County Water District.

I was hired by then Water District General Manager and former Town Manager Bruce Williams, Cron said in an interview with the Apple Valley Review in 2012. Along the way I was also a volunteer and then a paid-call firefighter/EMT for the Orange County Fire Department (Station 16) Modjeska Canyon, and also a paid call firefighter/EMT at Running Springs Fire Department.

Long before he began his career working for the town, Cron graduated from El Modena High School in 1974 and attended Santa Ana Junior College where he took water science and fire science classes.

In 1975, he landed a temporary summer construction job with the El Toro Water District. The manager decided he liked Cron’s work and asked him to stay on full-time after the project was completed to become a water treatment plant operator. That accidentally began his public service career in the water business.

After working for El Toro at the treatment plant for five and a half years, Cron applied for a job opening at Running Springs Water District in 1980 and was hired on as their foreman. He operated the wastewater collections and water distribution system and stayed with the district for eight years.

Most recently, Cron was in charge of Municipal Operations and Contract Services as Assistant Town Manager. He also served on the Police Activities League’s Board of Directors.

While working as a board member, Cron helped establish and facilitate PAL at-risk youth programs, including boxing and S.H.O.C.K., the 10-week juvenile intervention program.

He has previously worked as Director of Public Services.

During a speech after Robinson’s presentation, Cron said he was kind of embarrassed, but thanked his colleagues nonetheless.

It’s truly been my great pleasure working at the Town of Apple Valley, he said. I’ve had an interesting career. I’ve worked with every employee and every Town Council member and planning commissioner that the town’s had in its existence, and I have to tell you that this is one of the finest councils that we have had in that 27 years.

Cron’s retirement comes with the blessing of his wife Sherry. No doubt, he will soon spend more time with his four daughters, grandchildren and great granddaughter, Ava Grace.

I’ve been threatening to retire for a while, Cron admitted. My wife finally said, ‘No more threats. Do it now.’ And so, we’re gonna be doing that. We’ll still be here. We still have many many friends in this community and in our neighboring communities, as well. So we’ll bounce in and out as we can.

Source: Matthew Cabe, Apple Valley Review, applevalley-review.com/27-years-service