Village Manager sets retirement date

Jeff Wallace, Village Manager, announced his upcoming retirement on April 8, 2022 at last week's Village Council meeting.

Village Manager Jeff Wallace submitted a letter announcing his pending retirement on April 8, 2022, to Village Council at its November 15 meeting.

A lifelong resident of Manchester, Wallace was elected to Village Council as a Trustee in 1989, and was named Village Manager just three years later, making a total of 30 years serving as manager. "I have been blessed to work for the village that I grew up in," he said in his letter of retirement. "The community also has been fortunate to have strong, community-minded residents serving on Village Council."

He also noted that being surrounded by experience has been important to his career growth. Three current council members have more than 20 years of experience; one has served for 17 years; and three more have served 10 years or longer. "Many have shared your time and expertise with other village groups, which brings true community to our government," he said. "Thank you for that."

Council agreed to have the Personnel Committee investigate possibilities for an upcoming search process and make its recommendation at the first meeting in December. Wallace has expressed his willingness to work with Council and staff to have a smooth and successful succession, as he has recently guided the village through the transitions of DPW Chief from Gary Wiedmayer to Brent Jones in 2017, and, at the Water Treatment Facility, from Dan Geyer to Thomas Thompson in 2019.

Council also acknowledged, when voting unanimously and with congratulations to accept his retirement, that finding a replacement for someone with Wallace's local experience, along with his many varied connections in the community and across the state, will be a challenge. The search process will begin early in the new year.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.