Bye Bye Bob — again: Herzberg retires from city a second time

For the second time in his life, Bob Herzberg is retiring.

A dedicated civil servant of over four decades, Herzberg bid the city of Langley farewell just before Valentine’s Day as his position of passport agent came to an end. The former police chief of 32 years, Herzberg took on a part-time role with the city just before the start of 2013.

Outside of city hall that week, Herzberg’s coworkers surprised him with a parade of employee vehicles. Across the street at Double Bluff Brewing Company, 30 to 40 well-wishers cheered as Police Chief Tavier Wasser used his patrol car’s PA system to recognize Herzberg for his service.

“Today we gather in honor of the remarkable Bob Herzberg, who is retiring after nearly half a century of dedicated service as our police chief, front desk clerk, passport officer, hippie and bar buddy,” Wasser announced.

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The retirement party meandered over to the brewery, where several glasses were raised to Herzberg that evening. Mayor Kennedy Horstman read aloud a proclamation celebrating his career and contributions.

“It’s definitely been a trip to be here this long and see all the changes,” Herzberg said in his office the next day, where he was interrupted while sorting through paperwork.

Herzberg discovered Langley while on his honeymoon in 1975. Three years later, he joined the police department as a patrol officer.

At the age of 25, he became Langley’s chief of police.

“If I could have waved a magic wand, I would have got us a more trained, more experienced person to do the job,” he said.

Yet despite being unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, he turned out to be a perfect fit for the role and stayed on until his retirement in 2011. But he missed his connection with the city, so he returned as a volunteer, which eventually turned into a paid gig processing passport applications. Along the way he let his hair grow out and his inner hippie shine.

The end of passport services is among Langley’s cost-cutting measures, as the city administration feverishly works its way out of a financial crisis.

“It was a shock to be told just before Christmas,” Herzberg said, but admitted retirement had been on his mind before he heard the news.

“People just really appreciated the ability to do this right here in the community instead of having to go all the way up to Oak Harbor or go over to town,” he said. “I’m sad that we had to end it. It doesn’t mean that it can’t come back at some point when they can staff it and do it again, but I guess this will be missed.”

He commended Horstman for having a firm grasp on the city’s finances, and said he thinks “the world of her.” He has known at least a dozen Langley mayors throughout his long tenure and has seen the city’s government grow, from five employees to 17.

Herzberg is continually amazed by Langley’s transformation into a destination for people from the mainland. Back in 1978, it was a sleepy little town full of young hippies. There were no overnight accommodations or a place to tie up your boat. Fine dining was unheard of; there was exactly one full-service restaurant, supplemented by whenever there was a cook on duty at the Dog House.

“Now I’m just amazed at how many people are here every single weekend,” he said.

Herzberg got to know the people of Langley well — perhaps a little too much. Instead of calling dispatch, they tended to knock on his home’s front door at 2 or 3 in the morning.

He worked long hours; for a 17-week stretch, he was the sole city police officer.

“Even though you’re in a small community that’s for the most part really peaceful, stuff happens, and you get to know your people that are having problems,” he said, recalling a double homicide on Anthes Avenue in 1982 and a fatal car accident on Third Street a few years before his retirement.

Herzberg lived by the slogan “police others as you would like to be policed.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed working with our citizens, our friends, our neighbors,” he said.

It was a serendipitous moment when he learned that Daniel Thomis planned to open a microbrewery at 112 Anthes Ave., the former location for city hall and where the police office was located when Herzberg joined the department. Herzberg became a founding member of Double Bluff Brewing Company’s mug club, which was acknowledged in the mayor’s proclamation.

In retirement, Herzberg has many hobbies to pursue, including playing the drums and working on model trains.

And, there’s a chance he might return to the city, this time as a volunteer.