Dear Residents,

I wanted to let you know that this week, I informed the Mayor and Council that I have been offered, and accepted a new position to serve as the next Town Manager for Signal Mountain, TN, a municipality outside Chattanooga. The final timing of the transition has not been completely worked out, but I anticipate that I will be moving on sometime in April.

The town of Signal Mountain is home to about 9,000 people, and it represents a great professional growth opportunity for me. I'm excited. The town is safe, has a great school system (important for reasons I will explain below...), and is surrounded by bucolic mountain vistas and nature and hiking trails while still being near city amenities in Chattanooga. This was just an opportunity I couldn't turn down, and my wife and I are excited - if not a little scared - for this new adventure.

Of course, the moment is bittersweet, because I truly love it here. As many of you know, I was born and raised in Vermont. I moved down to DC to go to graduate school and I have lived here ever since, for about 11 years now. My parents both grew up in Prince George's County. I am an avid fan of the Washington Football Team Commanders, the Nationals, the Capitals, all of the Terps' teams, and even the Wizards. I love the history, the hustle and bustle, the monuments, museums, food, and that people come here from all over the country and the world. I love that, for how much is going on in DC, it still feels small enough to be manageable. It has become home for me.

For the last five years, I have had the great fortune of serving as the Town Manager for your town, Somerset. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your kindness, participatory spirit, pride in your community, and friendliness. I have greatly enjoyed serving you all, and am so very grateful for the opportunity to work with the Councils and Mayor over the years.

I haven't had a full opportunity to look back on the last five years yet, but I'm proud of what's been accomplished, even if there's always more work to be done. When I first stepped into the role, retirement payments had not been properly made for 18 months, throwing our accounting out of whack and impacting the employees' retirement accounts. With the help of the Mayor and Council - and Linda - we did a lot to clean up some of those internal issues. Everything was thrown for a loop 9 months in when COVID took over the world, and we were trying to react as best we could, while continuing to provide the town services and keep residents as safe as possible through extreme uncertainty. And we've made some tangible improvements to the Town. There are several capital projects that have been either on the backburner or stuck in neutral for many years that we've achieved major breakthroughs. The streetlights have been discussed for so long that Somerset went through an entire technology (induction lighting) that has come and gone, but we've finally managed to get energy-efficient LED lights that will provide safer and more well-ordered lighting on the Town streets. We've avoided disaster at the Town Pool, taking care of an aging deck that is as old as the pool itself and never been repaired; we have a brand-new website to improve communication with the Town residents; and we have done an enormous amount of work on the Town Code, including stormwater management.

I told the Council that one of the difficult parts of leaving is that the job never quite feels "done." But I'm excited for what the future holds for Somerset in terms of the new pool deck, better lighting, solar panels, plans and implementation of roads and sidewalks master planning, and an incredible sustainable planting resource guide that is being wrapped up by Groundsmith Collective, just to name a few of the exciting things that are still underway. I am confident that whoever steps into the Town Manager role will help take Somerset to its next levels over the next few years under the guidance of the Mayor and Council.

I'd like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Town staff, a group of remarkably talented and dedicated individuals. The town is lucky to have several "contractors" that operate as de facto staff, including Doug Lohmeyer, our Building Administrator, Dr. Tolbert Feather, our Town Arborist, and Ron Bolt, our Town Attorney. All three of them are highly intelligent technical experts who are critical to town operations. They have supported me, the rest of the staff, and the Council through difficult to navigate and technically complicated issues, always with the best interest of the town at heart. Jose and Tomas have tirelessly worked to maintain the beauty of our town, while even after retirement, Enrique remains an invaluable asset, always ready to lend a hand. EJ has seamlessly integrated into the team, contributing directly to the advancement of several projects I mentioned earlier. As for Linda, she has been an exceptional colleague, my steadfast partner in all endeavors. Her contributions behind the scenes are immeasurable; she's been instrumental in keeping things running smoothly and has made countless invaluable contributions to our community. I urge you to continue supporting our staff, offering understanding during times of high demand, and expressing gratitude for their unwavering commitment to public service. Somerset is truly fortunate to have such dedicated individuals working tirelessly for you.

I would also like to thank the Mayor and Council, who have always supported me, and without whom I would not have the opportunity to continue to progress in such an exciting way in my career. Mayor Slavin, and Councilmembers Steve Surko, Marnie Shaul, Barbara Zeughauser, Frannie Peale, and Morris Panner gave me the chance to first serve Somerset, and have continued to support me, even as the majority of them have rotated off the Council. The current Council, too, Councilmembers Surko (the one holdover!), Barr, Heller, Kumar, and Rovak, have given me a great opportunity to be a strategic partner alongside them. It is not lost on me that in many municipalities the political winds blow one way, and the town manager can be out of a job just like that. Somerset has always been kind and supportive of me and invested in me. I am eternally grateful. There are also many volunteers, committee members, and Chairs that have been a joy to work with (but perhaps too many to name here). The town's sense of volunteerism is one of its greatest assets, and the people who step up to the plate for these often-thankless volunteer roles are the embodiment of public service. I have great admiration for you all.

Finally, on a personal note, I wanted to happily share that my wife, Alexandria, is three months pregnant, and we will be expecting our first child in September of this year. This, of course, adds a layer of complication to our move, but we are excited to be moving to an area that stands out as a charming, beautiful, safe, and family-oriented community for us to start and raise a family of our own. We have both always wanted to be parents, so we're truly overjoyed to be starting this journey of parenthood, and it already has begun to put life into a different perspective.

With all of that said, thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me to serve you. I hope to talk to many of you over the next several weeks before I leave. Thank you for those who have stayed with me through this long email. I have so much gratitude for this opportunity in Somerset. But, for now, I will sign off.

All the best,