Andrea Lueker named Port San Luis' interim harbor manager 

In a short and sweet decision, the Port San Luis Harbor District Commission unanimously named Andrea Lueker as the its interim general manager. 

Lueker, who took the position immediately following the Oct. 27 vote, will serve as the district’s interim manager until May 1, 2016, while the commission looks for a permanent director. Lueker told New Times she is seeking the permanent position. 

The job became vacant after commissioners voted 3-2 at an Aug. 27 closed session meeting to not renew former General Manager Steven McGrath’s contract, which was to end in November. That decision came just two days after the commission officially terminated negotiations with the HomeFed Corporation to build and operate the Harbor Terrace project, a proposed 32-acre camping development which included high-end camping accommodations, as well as affordable car camping spots and walk-in or bike-in camp spots.

The commission is currently in negotiations with another company, Red Tail Acquisitions.

Lueker’s name might sound familiar, especially in local fishing circles. For the better part of 27 years, Lueker was an employee of the city of Morro Bay, where, according to her résumé, she rose through the ranks, working as a lifeguard, staff assistant, recreation and parks director, and, eventually, city manager. That employment officially ended in January 2014, after Lueker and the city reached a separation agreement following a contentious, months-long house cleaning process led by a slim City Council majority.

Since then, Lueker served as the executive director of the Morro Bay Community Quota Fund, a farily new nonprofit that supports a segment of the local fishing industry that is required to obtain limited permitting and adhere to a quota system put in place after a ban on catching groundfish by bottom trawling.

After a break from the public sector, Lueker said she’s eager to be back in a municipal driver’s seat.

“I very much enjoy working in the municipal setting, and I enjoy working with the employees and the public,” Lueker said. “It’s very nice to be back, although it’s only been a few hours.”

-- Melody DeMeritt - former city council member, Morro Bay