Ferdinand Town Manager announces resignation
Ferdinand Town Manager Chris James announced he would be resigning from the position at the Ferdinand Town Council meeting Tuesday evening.
Mr. James was appointed town manager in January 2014 after Marc Steczyk resigned.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Mr. James noted stepping down from the position was not an easy one to make.
“I feel it is in the best interests of the town moving forward, so that a fresher approach can be undertaken,” James wrote.
He continued, “The Town of Ferdinand is incredibly blessed with its current leadership, at the elected level and with top-notch department heads and legal counsel. I have no doubt in the ability of the supervisors to help guide the council and the town into its next surge of steady growth. There are several exciting projects being worked on that will benefit our community and make Ferdinand the ideal location to raise a family. I truly feel the town is in very good hands and will continue moving forward in a positive fashion. Ideally, the next town manager will be more suitably skilled and versed in municipal management, able to give the Town of Ferdinand exactly what it requires to lead this growth effort.”
“I look back with much gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to grow and learn over the past ten years in what was a brand-new and completely different career path. I am very much looking forward to my next chapter,” Mr. James said.
Regarding the announcement, Town Council President Ken Sicard stated he was aware of James’ intentions prior to the announcement at the meeting.
“Chris James worked very diligently for the Town of Ferdinand,” Councilman Sicard said via email. “He has given us 10 years of service, and for that, I am very thankful to him for all he has done.”
According to Sicard, for several months now, the town has been having discussions about changing some of its operating procedures. As such, they don’t have plans to fill the position of town manager in the immediate future.
“We have a very capable group of supervisors and staff working at this time, so, my proposal is to see how things go without a town manager and make decisions in the future based on this experience,” he said.
