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GAZETTE

          He's talked about it for the past several months, off and on, and I could tell he was starting to get serious.  But I didn't engage him to a degree of depth and we pretty much do what we want when it comes to the work side of our lives.

         I'm not fond of the word "retirement" nor the concept.   Although it has come to be part of life in many countries, and there are government pensions and programs related to it, retirement is not a biblical concept nor a natural way of thinking. 

         Work is made for man.  It is a gift to us.  It fills our days with opportunities and possibilities not to mention joy and fulfillment.  Also challenges and difficulties, so what else is new?  And so I didn't give encouragement to Allan nor did we have long discussions about it.  If you know Allan at all, you might know that he's not prone to long discussions about anything. 

         And so it was Thursday, August 25th, 2011, that I received his email, and I saw that he also sent it to our kids.  It wasn't a personal message and he included no personal commentary to us.  It was the press release made public at a retreat with the Wayzata City Council that morning. 

         The black and white no turning back of the email startled me a bit, and it also caught Jenny and Nick by surprise.  Leave it to Allan, mild mannered Clark Kent, to don his other identity as he swooped across the internet to inform us of the date of his retirement from the City of Wayzata -- not unexpected and yet a surprise. 

        

         Allan Orsen, Wayzata's longest serving City Manager, announced on August 25th, 2011, that he will retire at the end of April, 2012.  His 65th birthday will be reached in April of 2012.  He informed the city council of his decision at the end of the council's annual retreat.

         Orsen began his career with the city 35 years ago as the City Engineer.  He was promoted to City Manager in 1985 and has served in that position since.

         City of Wayzata Mayor Ken Willcox said the council expects to hire a professional search team to help the city find a replacement.  "Al has seen our city through many good years as well as several challenging ones," the mayor added.  "We are extremely grateful to him.  He leaves the city in excellent shape, and we appreciate his willingness to help us make this a smooth transition period."

         During Orsen's tenure as Wayzata City Manager, he has overseen a staff of 40 plus full time employees and many part time employees, and he has supervised the construction of major new city facilities including the City Hall-Library complex, the Public Works building, and the recently completed Municipal Liquor Store and Restaurant.  In fact, every city-owned building and facility has been replaced with the exception of the Depot during Orsen's tenure.

         In announcing his retirement, Orsen said, "It was not an easy decision to wrap up my 35-year career with Wayzata, but the timing is right for me and my family, as well as for the city."

 

         The official announcement put a lump in my throat.  How did he get so fast to be that age?  Whether we see the passing of time as a good thing or a not so good thing, we have little choice in the matter, and so we get a lump sometimes, especially as it's related to family.

         Most cities, including the City of Victoria, have not had the luxury of a city manager (or city administrator in Victoria's case) with such longevity, such an historical knowledge of the community and its infrastructure, such dedication and servanthood, such loyalty, and, yes, such capability in so many ways, all without much ado.

         Sometimes small cities like Victoria and Wayzata are seen as stepping stones to bigger and better things.  But bigger and better is often not bigger and better, especially if one's ambition is kin to power and prestige rather than family and stability.

         The same can be said for my work.  I remember my dad saying to me, as the  Gazette continued to grow and receive accolades, "Where is it going to lead, Susan!  Imagine where you could go!"  I think I said something like, "Dad, I don't want to go anyplace else.  I'm already there."

         For some reason, people have now come to ask me the question, "When are you going to retire?"  As I said, I don't like the word so I don't smile upon hearing it.  I would prefer the question, "When are you going to quit doing the Gazette?"

         Quitting and retiring have little in common.  There are expectations upon retirement, like a social security check, a pension check, part time consulting work, more leisure time, more travel, more coffee hours, more hunting and fishing, more reading, more time with kids and grandkids.  Retiring is related to the future.

         When I quit doing the Gazette, I suspect it will be with no expectations.  It will probably be related to difficulties due to weakness of mind or body or both.  In the meantime, I don't contemplate the future, for today is enough unto itself.

September 2011

From the Editor