Thought Wake Forest would be ‘stepping stone’

Town Manager Mark Williams, who joined the Wake Forest town staff in 1983, said last week he “never expected to be here this long.”

Instead, he will retire on April 30 after 32 two years with the town, most of them, 22 years, as the town manager.

And he has been the manager during the years of the town’s explosive growth. There were about 4,000 people in town in 1983 when he was hired as the parks and recreation director; the current estimate is 37,000 heading for 40,000 in the next couple years.

It is a wonder he came because one of his early experiences with Wake Forest was not pleasant. A Raleigh native, he remembered coming here to visit his grandmother in the rest home on South Allen Road next to the hospital and a train ride he and his kindergarten class took from Raleigh to Wake Forest where their parents were waiting.

He did not return until he was the manager of the Enloe High School basketball team, which was pretty highly ranked in its 4A bracket. The team came to town to play the Wake Forest team, which was in the 2A bracket but coached by Larry Lindsay. “They beat the snot out of us,” Williams said.

He recovered and went on to N.C. State and then was hired in 1979 by the City of Henderson. When the parks and recreation job in Wake Forest opened up, Williams said, “I was looking to improve myself in my career. I applied for the job and move here in ’83.”

Jerry Walters was town manager at the time, and Curt Walton was the assistant manager. When Walton left for a position in Charlotte (he retired after years as the city manager), Walters asked Williams if he had ever thought of branching out into public administration and became the assistant manager..

“I lost my boss twice,” Williams said. First, in 1991 “the board and Jerry parted company.” Williams was named the interim manager and served for seven months but did not apply for the job permanently. “It wasn’t the right time to apply. I thought Wake Forest would be better if they had someone from outside come in.” It also may have been because of the friction between Walters and the town board members at the time.

Bob Slade was hired and fared no better than Walters. “He and the board parted company in January of 1993,” Williams said, and he was again appointed the interim manager.

But several board members encouraged him to apply for the job and he was named manager that May.

It made for a real change in his thinking, Williams said. “I was no longer focused on one service. I had to focus on all the town services. I really had to start learning what it is to set priorities and meet the needs of all departments.”

One hallmark of Williams’ tenure has been his ability to hire people who stay on staff for decades and sometimes even return after being lured away.

He said it is because of “the culture we have established. I think people like it here and want to stay here. I let my folks do their jobs. They’re trained to do their jobs and I let them do it. It was a stepping stone and now it’s a destination.”

Williams was also quick to credit the mayors and commissioners who have worked to establish “great benefits and competitive salaries.”

Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell chimed in with another aspect, crediting Williams’ leadership but saying, “If you had thought about staying here just a short time, the town started growing and there were a lot of challenges which were fulfilling. It’s a very exciting, vibrant time.”

As for the challenges the growth has brought, Williams said, “The biggest challenge has been trying to mirror the needs of this population with the ability to provide the services they need.” The town is increasingly more diverse with different desires – retired folks, young families with small children. “It’s no longer one size fits all. We have to be wiling to change as the needs and desires of the citizens change.’

What are the challenges and accomplishments Williams is proudest of? One at or near the top of the list is the AAA bond rating, which means the town can borrow money at the lowest rates and that the accrediting entities have found the town’s financial situation and practices to be AAA rated.

Two that stand out, he said, “are this building,” motioning to the conference room on the second floor of the town hall completed in 2010. “When I came here in 1983 we were in a building that was relatively new but already needed to be torn down.” That was a finally a reality in 2010. The new town hall is platinum LEED certified for its energy and water conservation and its building materials.

The other accomplishment he cited is the purchase and construction of the first phase of E. Carroll Joyner Park. “It’s one of those jewels that most towns don’t have the benefit of . . . I remember the first time Susan Simpson (then the parks and recreation director) and I met with Carroll Joyner and he was being hit hard by developers wanting to buy it (the pastures and land).”

Joyner was expecting they wanted to buy a small part, maybe ten acres. “We told him we wanted to buy a property to build a park, we wanted to buy the whole 115 acres. And we pulled it off and I’m very proud of that. Fortunately the board at the time had the same vision. It’s turned into a very special place.”

There are other milestones: Flaherty Park and its community center, the bus service, the merger of the water and sewer service into Raleigh’s system and the South White Streetscape.

Williams said it was just the right time for him to retire now that a number of projects and issues, including the drawn-out litigation over the town hall construction which was settled in the town’s favor, have been accomplished. “I kind of feel like we’ve closed the chapter on several things and it’s time for me to step aside and have someone else take over the helm.

Williams said the challenge for the next manager is “taking the foundation we have here and moving it to the next level. The money for the several bond issue projects will set the tone, he said, for the town reaching its vision over the next few years.

What will he and his wife, Diane, do once he retires. They plan to stay in the area and he will continue to be a youth soccer coach, something he has done for 28 years.

“I’m a beach bum. We have a place at the beach and we’ll go down there. I also love gardening; I like to get my hands dirty. My yard is my passion. And I’m also a stamp collector. And I’ll probably get involved in a couple things around town as a volunteer.”