Ryan Cassano is accustomed to hearing people praise his father, Andy Cassano. But he doesn't mind, the 21-year-old said. In fact, he agrees with the glowing assessments.
"I know I'm really thankful that he's my father," Ryan said, acknowledging that in the last year he's begun to take his parents' good qualities less for granted.
In many ways, Ryan closely resembles his father. Both are tall and lanky, though the son's complexion is a couple shades lighter than the father's warm, Italian coloring. Both speak only after carefully considering their words, and in low, even, almost identical tones. Each is unfailingly well mannered. But only Ryan wears hoop earrings.
He has worked as a "clerical staff member" in his father's planning, surveying and commputer-programming office for five years. Although Ryan does not intend to ultimately follow in his father's career footsteps, he admires his work.
Ryan Cassano is far from alone. His father has developed - earned - high regard for his professional skills and personal integrity in both the private and public sector. For 13 years, he served as Nevada City's city planner, dedicating about 30 percent of his work time to the city. The remainder was devoted to private clients. Forced to trim an already lean budget, Nevada City last month replaced Cassano with a less expensive planner.
Cassano, 47, has remained in the public eye, however, as a planning consultant for the owners of the Loma Rica Ranch and the Kenny Ranch, also known as "Hell's Half Acre," on the edges of Grass Valley. In recent months, the city of Grass Valley has begun to study the possibility of buying Loma Rica and of annexing both properties - each of which is about 400 acres - to the city.
A native of Camptonville, Cassano has spent his entire professional career- indeed almost his entire life - in or very near Nevada County. He initially considered civil engineering but was drawn toward surveying. Realizing he could learn more on the job, he dropped out of Sierra College in 1969, returning to complete his degree almost a decade later.
He went to work at Cranmer Engineering, hired by Ken Baker - now of Nevada City Engineering - as a draftsman.
Jim Cranmer holds Cassano in high esteem.
"Andy is a superb man. He is very thoughtful in his dealings with others. He is meticulous in his professional life, and if all human beings came up to the measurement of excellence that Andy does, the world would be a far better place," said the engineering firm's owner.
In 1981, Cassano opened his own practice, incorporating land-use planning into his work. He also writes computer programs and, today, designs World Wide Web pages.
"I'm a person that enjoys a lot of variety in my career," he explained.
Cassano also has chosen to keep his practice small because he enjoys the personal interaction with his clients. He prides himself on his ability to reach compromises, to serve as a mediator. He is known for being unflappable.
"He has the ability to defuse situations with a great calmness. That's just a part of his personality that's really been wonderful," said Laurie Oberholtzer. Oberholtzer has known Cassano in many capacities - she served on the Nevada City City Council, currently sits on the Planning Commission, and also is a professional planner. "He's really set a standard for quality planning in Nevada City that's really rare in small towns," she added.
Cassano is particularly proud of the work he did on the Seven Hills Business District's redevelopment plan and on two studies he performed for Sierra College in preparation for construction of the Nevada County campus.
Aerial photos are tacked up on Cassano's office walls, and blueprints lean against his desk. A photocollage hangs over his desk, and one corner of the office is dubbed the "heritage corner." In it are pictures of Cassano's parents and grandparents. Two of his grandfather's shotguns are hung on the wall. Seated at a country-style dining table in the office's sunny back room, Cassano confessed to "workaholic tendencies" but also said he enjoys spending much of his free time with his family - immediate and extended.
He has been married for 24 years. He and his wife, Kathy, have one son, Ryan. The three live in the Peardale area in a "cabin" Andy drew the plans for, based largely on his brother's home in LaPorte. "I like to do a lot of things myself," Cassano noted.
He and his wife are both from large families that gather frequently for birthday parties, weddings and barbecues, he said. Cassano is the youngest of five children, ranging in age today from 72 to Andy's 47.
His siblings were unabashed in their praise.
His oldest sister, Carmen Weaver, referred to him as "my little brother, my special little brother." Weaver, who now lives in Fresno, praised Cassano for taking care of their mother, who died last year at 90. He was "such a wonderful person to my mom," she said. "He would just have done anything for mom, and he was there all the time for her."
Kathy Cassano agreed.
"He's not the nursing kind at all, but he stepped in and took over, and I was so proud of him," said Andy's wife.
Charlie Cassano, who, at 58, is closest in age to Andy, also spoke kindly of his younger brother. "I think he's a gentleman in the truest sense of the word," he said. Charlie Cassano, who lives in Sparks, Nev., recalled that his brother was not fond of ranch chores and felt somewhat isolated being so far from town with his parents as his only company.
"Sometimes my dad would give us a calf to raise, and we could use that to get some spending money," explained Charlie. Andy sold his calf for a typewriter. "He was more interested in a typewriter than he was in livestock," Charlie said.
Andy Cassano admitted that he wasn't very interested in ranch chores. "I was always a dreamer," he said. "My brothers worked hard on the ranch."
"My dad had to ... encourage him and push him to try to get him to do a lot of the ranch stuff,"
Charlie confirmed.
Published here by permission of Nevada County's Leading Source of News and Commerce serving the greater Grass Valley/Nevada City region: The Union.