In 2024, I wrote an article for PM Magazine, “Knowing When to Leave,” describing 10 possible reasons for leaving one’s position in local government management. I mentioned that eventually my own reason for leaving would be retirement. That retirement came in fall 2024 and was driven by the same reason that many other
managers stay—“to finish that one last project.” Local government management is an infinite universe of new projects, so the problem with finishing that one last project is that there never is just “one last project.” 

In my case, it was a $600+ million building project. I had been involved with the initial financial planning, design, and funding over a period of years. However, with the construction not anticipated to be completed until 2029, the project would continue beyond when I had planned to retire. So I made the decision to retire at the end of my contract term in 2024. I left at a good point in the project so that my successor could see the project through to completion. 

I have recently spoken to a couple of different managers who were contemplating retirement, but felt they had “one additional project they wanted to complete” before retiring. This made me think about my own decision, the point in our careers in which we find ourselves contemplating the right time to retire, and what it means to our career and profession.

My retirement went into effect on October 1, 2024, and it’s been a year of enjoyment, exploration, rest and relaxation, and travel, but also one in which I’ve challenged myself in new ways. It’s also been a year of very few demands, no real stress, very few emails, no meetings, no nights out, and no late calls.

I believe local government management is one of the most honorable professions, one that benefits society and impacts our residents’ lives on a daily basis in many different ways. I enjoyed my career, and in a lot of ways, being a town manager was my identity for 37 years. But there’s more to life that we can learn when we separate from that identity.

So, here are my thoughts and observations on retiring from our profession and what I’ve learned in my first year after doing so.

Public Service Is a Chapter, Not a Life Sentence

A career as a local government manager demands commitment, resilience, and adaptability. Ours is one of the few professions that impacts nearly every person in a community each and every day based on the vast array of services our communities provide. Our local government’s ability to provide high-quality services is the difference between a bad, good, or great place for people to live. This is what energizes us and motivates us to continue to elevate our local governments to be high-performing organizations.

However, at some point, even the most dedicated public servant leader must recognize that our public service is just one chapter in both a professional and personal journey. Knowing when to transition out allows one’s legacy to stand on solid ground; marked by contribution, not exhaustion, declining health, or death while in office.

Leadership Renewal Strengthens Institutions

During my career, my thought was that I would start a tenure in a community with the goal to build upon my predecessor’s successes, leave the organization better than when I arrived, and that my successor would then build upon my successes, creating a cycle of continuous improvement.

This concept of constant change and improvement also provides opportunities for younger managers or assistants to step up or for managers to move up to larger and more challenging positions. Change in leadership becomes a sign of institutional vitality. A well-timed retirement creates  opportunities for others to step up, bringing new energy, vitality, and innovation to meet emerging challenges. Retiring from local government management is both appropriate and essential to the
long-term health of our local governments and the individuals we worked with and those that will succeed us. 

Healthy leaders and organizations should encourage succession planning, mentorship, and leadership development. These practices not only sustain continuity but also ensure that our governments evolve with the times rather than stagnate under familiar hands. We all have a strong desire to see the communities we love prosper and grow, as well as a shared interest in seeing both our assistants and those from outside our organization move upward. It is also extremely satisfying
to watch those we’ve mentored succeed as our successors.

Honoring Service Through Transition

I spent 37 years as a local government manager navigating everything from simple to complex budgets, political dynamics, state and federal government relations and regulatory changes, elected officials and departmental needs, labor relations/human resources, (and a major pandemic), almost always while under intense public scrutiny. Retirement is not a withdrawal from our years of service but a recognition of the years we spent providing that service. It’s an opportunity for us to step back, assess, and celebrate our and our community’s achievements during our tenures, to recognize and celebrate all those we worked with, and to ensure
institutional progression.

Personal Well-Being Is Part of Public Responsibility

Local government management comes with constant demands: late-night meetings, crises that don’t wait for business hours (who among us has not had a 4 AM call from a police or fire chief?) and decisions that will weigh heavily on our conscience for years. During my career, I would often arrive home late, work on my laptop and go to bed late, wake up early, and commute back to work, living on little sleep each night. For my own mental health, I balanced this with cycling, running, playing golf at every opportunity, and spending time with my family on weekends. 

Even though our opportunities to take vacations were limited and could only occur during certain times of the year, we always made sure that they were great adventures for our family. This also provided my spouse and me the opportunity to recharge and just be with our kids. Choosing to retire can be the ultimate act of self-care, but it also models responsible leadership to young, emerging professionals, demonstrating that balance, sustainability, and well-being are essential parts of a local government manager’s life.

Service Beyond the Office

Retirement need not end one’s contribution to public life. Retiring at the right time provides opportunities for us to look for new avenues to learn and give back, whether through volunteering, consulting, mentoring, or teaching. Our local government experience and knowledge remains invaluable to many organizations and can inspire current and future local government managers. Stepping away from the profession doesn’t mean stepping away from our life’s work of helping individuals and communities. Retirement and what it ultimately ends up looking like for each of us is not going to be a uniform experience; and will be different based on your location, interests, and abilities.

For me, I’ve found several different ways to continue to contribute when I’m not either riding my bike, playing golf, running, or traveling. I am volunteering as a senior advisor through ICMA, volunteering with the American Red Cross to provide assistance in emergencies, and volunteering as a farm worker at a local nonprofit farm (that grew 836,000 pounds of produce this year) to assist families in need throughout the state. I am also serving on the municipal solid waste advisory committee and charter review committee in my community, providing expertise that I gained over the years.

A Natural and Noble Transition

Retiring from local government management should not be viewed as an end but rather as a continuum of the service we have provided throughout our professional lives. It reflects on our awareness as local government leaders of the timing, legacy, and health of the organizations we were fortunate to oversee. The decision to retire—made thoughtfully and with integrity—is a final act of leadership that benefits both ourselves and the communities we serve.

It Can’t Happen Without Planning!

Long-term financial planning is essential to achieving stability and the freedom to enjoy life in retirement. In our profession, we work so hard at long-term financial planning for our communities, but it’s so important for us to also think about our own future early in our careers, set clear goals, and stay disciplined in meeting them. Financial security doesn’t happen by chance; it’s the result of consistent planning, saving, and investing over time. Many of us are fortunate to have a retirement system that we are part of, but we also have an asset in MissionSquare Retirement (a partner of ICMA), which provides an additional option of building our savings to improve our retirement. We all need to research how our retirement will be funded and make a plan using a combination of resources to ensure long-term financial stability.

A Time to Relax and Enjoy

I wanted to kick off my retirement with a clear delineation between my working career and my retired life. My spouse was still working, so the first few days were spent on my own, golfing and taking off to spend a few days mountain biking and camping in Vermont to round out my first week. Those first few days played an important part in how I transitioned from being a working local government manager to someone that could now pursue and enjoy life at my own pace. If you enjoy travel, trips no longer depend on a schedule that is outside of your control and can happen at any time of the year and for whatever duration you choose. 

During my first year of retirement, I’ve taken extended trips to Paris, the Caribbean, Spain, and Vietnam, enjoying new cultures and spending more time with my spouse, doing things together that we both enjoy.

Conclusion

I enjoyed my career in local government management, and looking in the rearview mirror, I don’t believe there is another career I could have chosen that I would have enjoyed as much or that would have brought me the same satisfaction. But even more so, I am now enjoying my retirement, giving back to my community and profession in ways that I didn’t have the time or opportunity for during my working career.

For me—and for my fellow local government managers—I don’t believe attaining professional milestones should be our life’s goal. It should be to lead a healthy lifestyle, provide services to our communities at the highest level we can while we’re capable, and then turning our roles over to younger generations and encouraging them to continue to improve upon the foundations we have built. Believe me, it’s okay to retire.

JIM MALLOY, ICMA-CM, is a retired local government manager, an ICMA senior advisor, and a former ICMA president and vice president.