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It's hard to imagine Morgan Hill resident and longtime Santa Clara County staff member Pete Kutras sitting still, considering he worked almost nonstop for 35 years for Santa Clara County to provide an array of public services for nearly two million people.

But former chief county executive Kutras, 60, slid into retirement Nov. 1 and plans to relax for a while, spending time with his two grandchildren, ages 3 and 6, who also live in Morgan Hill.

"I'm just going to try and decompress. I've been working since I was a teenager, mowing lawns, baby-sitting, washing windows," said Kutras a few days before his retirement. "I have a very demanding position with the county. I'm trying to extricate myself from my job."

He said he just got a library card, and he plans to continue taking his grandchildren to Centennial Recreation Center.

And to hear Kutras speak so enthusiastically about his role in administering a wide variety of county services as the manager of more than 15,000 employees is to quickly realize he won't turn in his public servant's badge any time soon.

Now that he won't be working up to 70 hours a week for the county, Kutras plans to devote more time to private service organizations. He wants to spend more time working with the San Jose Rotary Club and the American Leadership Forum, where he is a senior fellow.

Furthermore, Kutras added, "I'm looking for opportunities to be involved in Morgan Hill."

Specifically, he hinted he might eventually make a run for a spot on the local school district's board of trustees. He said he has long been interested in education, particularly in Morgan Hill where his 6-year-old grandson and 3-year-old granddaughter live.

"We have good leadership in (city hall), and I don't think the Morgan Hill School District matches the quality of leadership we have in the city," said Kutras.

Kutras started working for Santa Clara County in the fall of 1973, after four years in the U.S. Army, which included two tours in Vietnam. Back home, he began working as a student intern in the county's personnel department. Over the years he held nearly a dozen positions, including director of personnel, director of labor relations and director of the employee services agency. He worked his way up to the top spot of CEO, a job he was first appointed to in 2003.

"The board of supervisors appoints me to run the daily affairs of the organization (county), and its 29 departments," explained Kutras. Those departments provide everything from road maintenance, juvenile justice and jails, to coroner's services, health inspections, operations at three airports and social services. As the leader of the organization, he made budget recommendations to the district attorney and the sheriff, and especially in recent years has had to devise funding solutions when the county has faced substantial deficits.

Kutras was motivated to public service early on, when he was chosen for a leadership program in high school and began tutoring fellow students.

"I got a taste for the satisfaction you get from helping, and also what an accomplishment it is to look back and see the difference I made on that person's life," he said.

In his final weeks as CEO, Kutras was lavished with commendations, plaques and awards from the many different agencies, municipalities and legislative chambers he has worked with, not just in Santa Clara County, but throughout the country. President George Bush even sent him a letter of commendation, as did Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

At its Oct. 15 meeting, the Morgan Hill City Council passed a proclamation thanking Kutras, who has served on the city's personnel committee, for his service. Mayor Steve Tate called Kutras "an absolute professional," and said the city has benefited by Kutras' influence in establishing and improving county facilities in Morgan Hill, including the new courthouse, which is in the construction process, improvements at the William F. James Boys' Ranch and a new emergency notification system.

An employee in the county executive's office, who has worked with Kutras since 1989, said the former CEO is a mentor to her.

"He was a hard worker. He really cared about the employees and the organization and it showed," said Kathy Maniaci, principal executive adviser to the county executive. "You always felt comfortable with his leadership, and you always knew he was the leader."

She added that even on his last day, Oct. 31, Kutras stayed until after 5 p.m. When he finally left, all the employees in the county executive's office stood out in the hall applauding him as he walked out, said Maniaci.

Although Kutras and his wife of 38 years, Geri Patterson-Kutras raised their son and daughter in Campbell, they moved to Morgan Hill 10 years ago in search of a small-town atmosphere "in the corporate limits of a city within Santa Clara County," said Kutras.

"We landed in Morgan Hill and we've never been happier," he said. The only drawback to living in a small town: "If people don't like what I'm doing as CEO for the county, I get very clear feedback in the grocery store."

Kutras also speaks candidly about tough budget cuts he has recommended as the county has run short on revenue in recent years. Last month, he suggested the county cut social services up to $17 million next year due to state cuts.

He explained in his interview with the Times that as the economy sinks and the county's resources decline, the demand for services goes up.

"You have foreclosures, families are in crisis, increasing demands in social services, sales are down, property tax is down," he said. "We are saying to people (asking for more services), you might have to wait a long time for these services."

He added the "number one issue" facing local residents in the current recession is the lack of healthcare. During his nearly six years as CEO, Kutras never recommended cutting the county-owned Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, which employs 6,000 people and is "part of the budget problem." But he believes being able to provide healthcare for every county resident who needs it is crucial, especially in an economic downturn when working people are losing the health insurance they previously had.

Despite being a retired executive, Kutras displays a clear empathy with the people he has served.

"I'm passionate about the services (the county) provide(s)," he said. "We've got people working two jobs, trying to feed their kids and survive. It's pretty hard to be involved in all these levels of government."

But chances are Kutras will continue to be involved in his community for quite a while.

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Michael Moore Michael Moore covers county and law enforcement issues for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106, ext. 202, or mmoore@morganhilltimes.com.

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