Longtime public works inspector retires

When asked what he’ll do now that he’s set to retire—for the second time—Robert McLaughlin answered with a chuckle. “My wife has plenty of plans for me around the house.”

McLaughlin, 78, was recognized by the Westlake Village City Council for his 12 years of service as the city’s public works inspector. As an inspector, McLaughlin was responsible for making sure public roadways, sewers, storm drains, landscapes and sidewalks were all properly maintained.

“The Westlake city council is one of the nicest councils I have ever worked for,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a small city and they really try to keep the city looking nice and the residents content . . . It was pleasure to work with them.”

Common sense and a can-do attitude served McLaughlin well during his dozen years spent patrolling the city in his red service truck.

“Bob was very practical,” Mayor Mark Rutherford said“When an issue would come uprather than stick to a bureaucratic way of doing something, he’d look at (the problem) and really try to come up with a real solution . . then he’d make it work.”

Before coming to Westlake Village, McLaughlin worked fonearly 37 years with the city of Los Angeles. McLaughlin said, however, he wasn’t quite ready to retire so he continued his lifelong commitment to public work.

McLaughlin and Peggy, his wife of 51 years, have been residents of Malibou Lake since 1956. Together, they raised theifour children and now enjoy five grandchildren.

McLaughlin plans to spend more time gardening and wiljoin his wife for a trip to Ohio later this year.

As a Las Virgenes Unified School District School Board member from 1963 to 1969McLaughlin was one of the originals board members to push through district-wide unification.