Former county administrator and longtime CSAC contributor Al Beltrami passed away this past weekend at the age of 79. Al served as the Mendocino County administrative officer from 1964 to 1989 when he retired.

“Al Beltrami was a giant in Mendocino County government, politics and philanthropy for five decades,” said Board Chair Dan Hamburg. “His sharp intellect, quick wit and infectious laugh will be missed by everyone who had the good fortune to know him.”

According to a statement released  by Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman, “On November 23, 2013, a legend in Mendocino County passed away. His name was Al Beltrami. He had that magic ability to make local government work better.”

After retirement, Al continued to be involved in local government, returning several times to the office he loved as interim administrator in Mendocino and other counties. He also served on the North Coast Water Quality Control Board and state board on government mandates, as well as co-founding the Employers Council of Mendocino – a coalition in support of business.

Al also served as a judge for the Association’s Annual Challenge Awards, which honors the most innovative programs developed by California Counties. He had been on the judging panel since the program’s inception in the mid-1990s and played his usual institutional and insightful role during the most recent round of judging this fall.

Before joining the CAO ranks in Mendocino County, Al worked as an assistant county administrator in San Luis Obispo County. When he retired in 1989, he had been a county administrator for a quarter century.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman said in a written statement, “On November 23, 2013, a legend in Mendocino County passed away. His name was Al Beltrami. He had that magic ability to make local government work better.”

According to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, former county supervisor John Mayfield, who was part of the panel who first hired Al to Mendocino County, said, “He was the youngest CAO at the time and I was the youngest supervisor in the CAO. We had a little fun with that issue. Along with everything else. … Al was one of the most competent people I ever worked with. He never lost sight of what the purpose was.”

A memorial service will be held at the Eversole Mortuary in Ukiah at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Cards may be addressed to: The Beltrami Family, c/o County Executive Office, 501 Low Gap Road, Room 1010, Ukiah CA 95482.