Former Carlsbad mayor Claude "Bud" Lewis died Oct. 15
Claude "Bud" Lewis, a high school teacher at Carlsbad High who ran for City Council to teach his students about civic engagement and ended up on the council for 40 years, the last 24 as mayor, died Oct. 15 after battling leukemia. He was 83.
He was the City's longest-serving elected official, a councilman from 1970 to 1986 and mayor from 1986 to 2010. During his time in elected office, the city of Carlsbad went from a population of 15,000 to 105,000 and managing the city's growth through the passage of the Growth Management Plan in 1986 remains as one of his crowning achievements. The voter-approved ballot measure he championed, which requires developers to pay for the roads, parks and services their projects made necessary, and to limit growth until public infrastructure was in place, manages the city's growth to this day.
Stephen "Hap" L'Heureux, a longtime planning commissioner, was chairman of the Chamber's board of directors and notes that at the time, a citizens' group put a competing measure on the ballot to limit growth. Though the Chamber supported the city's effort, developers warned that if the Growth Management Plan was adopted, Carlsbad would stagnate, which, of course, history proved was not the case.
"One of the reasons Carlsbad has done as well economically and from a planning and land-use perspective is that we had a general plan to which everything we've done has been tied to," said L'Heureux. "What we see today on the ground and the economic strength of the city is in large part to Buddy's very careful hand on the tiller."
Under Lewis' leadership, Carlsbad became a successful tourist destination, bolstered by the city's reputation for clean beaches, beautiful flower fields and world-class golf resorts. City voters approved the establishment in 1993 of LEGOLAND California, the first LEGOLAND theme park in North America, which has helped make Carlsbad a prime Southern California tourist destination. The park opened in 1999, the same year that The Flower Fields were established as an official destination.
Sadly, Lewis did not live long enough to see another of his championed projects complete. A strong believer that Carlsbad and the county needed to produce its own water, he spearheaded the construction of Poseidon Water's Carlsbad Desalination Project. The project is scheduled to start delivering desalinated water to the region by 2016.
Ted Owen, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, praised Lewis for his leadership.
"He's the poster boy for good local governance," said Ted Owen, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. "He was dedicated to making things happen in Carlsbad."
Owen added that Lewis was a straight-shooter who would tell you what was on his mind.
"Whenever you took an issue to Buddy, you knew that you were going to get fair treatment and a fair shot at getting your project approved," Owen said. "He was always consistent, and if your project wasn't approved, he would tell you why."
The Chamber organized a retirement ceremony for Lewis and according to Owen, a highlight was when the former mayor was presented with the Secretary of the Navy's Superior Public Service Award.
"He had an undying love for the veterans. He's one of the few people I've ever met who wasn't a retired Marine who had a payroll deduction out of his check every two weeks to help wounded Marines."
Claude "Bud" Lewis, a high school teacher at Carlsbad High who ran for City Council to teach his students about civic engagement and ended up on the council for 40 years, the last 24 as mayor, died Oct. 15 after battling leukemia. He was 83.
He was the City's longest-serving elected official, a councilman from 1970 to 1986 and mayor from 1986 to 2010. During his time in elected office, the city of Carlsbad went from a population of 15,000 to 105,000 and managing the city's growth through the passage of the Growth Management Plan in 1986 remains as one of his crowning achievements. The voter-approved ballot measure he championed, which requires developers to pay for the roads, parks and services their projects made necessary, and to limit growth until public infrastructure was in place, manages the city's growth to this day.
Stephen "Hap" L'Heureux, a longtime planning commissioner, was chairman of the Chamber's board of directors and notes that at the time, a citizens' group put a competing measure on the ballot to limit growth. Though the Chamber supported the city's effort, developers warned that if the Growth Management Plan was adopted, Carlsbad would stagnate, which, of course, history proved was not the case.
"One of the reasons Carlsbad has done as well economically and from a planning and land-use perspective is that we had a general plan to which everything we've done has been tied to," said L'Heureux. "What we see today on the ground and the economic strength of the city is in large part to Buddy's very careful hand on the tiller."
Under Lewis' leadership, Carlsbad became a successful tourist destination, bolstered by the city's reputation for clean beaches, beautiful flower fields and world-class golf resorts. City voters approved the establishment in 1993 of LEGOLAND California, the first LEGOLAND theme park in North America, which has helped make Carlsbad a prime Southern California tourist destination. The park opened in 1999, the same year that The Flower Fields were established as an official destination.
Sadly, Lewis did not live long enough to see another of his championed projects complete. A strong believer that Carlsbad and the county needed to produce its own water, he spearheaded the construction of Poseidon Water's Carlsbad Desalination Project. The project is scheduled to start delivering desalinated water to the region by 2016.
Ted Owen, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, praised Lewis for his leadership.
"He's the poster boy for good local governance," said Ted Owen, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. "He was dedicated to making things happen in Carlsbad."
Owen added that Lewis was a straight-shooter who would tell you what was on his mind.
"Whenever you took an issue to Buddy, you knew that you were going to get fair treatment and a fair shot at getting your project approved," Owen said. "He was always consistent, and if your project wasn't approved, he would tell you why."
The Chamber organized a retirement ceremony for Lewis and according to Owen, a highlight was when the former mayor was presented with the Secretary of the Navy's Superior Public Service Award.
"He had an undying love for the veterans. He's one of the few people I've ever met who wasn't a retired Marine who had a payroll deduction out of his check every two weeks to help wounded Marines."