WILLMAR
— Willmar City Council on Monday said goodbye to and thanked Public Works Director Gary Manzer for his time with the city and his leadership, as it was his last meeting before retiring after nearly 40 years as a city employee.
“If I stay until January, it’ll be 40 years, but I said, that means there’s November, December,” Manzer commented, getting a laugh from those in the council chambers and being told it is OK to round up in this instance.
“Mr. Manzer, this is your last meeting as a city employee, is that correct? And when you’re here in two weeks, you’ll be here as a citizen and every meeting following that, right?” teased Councilor Justin Ask before saying, “Thank you so much for your leadership over the years. I have heard from countless people how deeply the team respects you and you will certainly be missed.”
Ask told Manzer that his philosophy in leadership is reflected in the respect that people have for him, and Manzer noted that there is a good crew of people coming up behind him that will continue the reputation of the department.
Councilor Carl Shuldes recalled working under Manzer’s supervision for a few years, noting, “That respect is real. It runs deep with those guys. They would do anything for you and do a lot of stuff for you.”
“Never in my wildest dreams would I guess I would be in the position I’ve been in the last couple of years, but that’s the way things work,” Manzer said. “I appreciate the people that trusted me to do the best I could, and I would always say my motto is to be honest and to do the best I could, and it was what it was.”
