Federspiel reflects on tenure in Lenox

LENOX – Town Manager Gregory T. Federspiel made time to talk with The Beacon in his last days of an almost 14-year tenure in his current position.

“It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to everybody,” said the town manger when asked for his thoughts on his impending departure from Lenox.

Town Manager Federspiel will be leaving to take a job as the town administrator of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., which he accepted in part to be closer to his extended family. His last day as Lenox’s town manager will be June 17.

Before taking his current position, Town Manager Federspiel was the town administrator of Stowe, Vt. He said that his decision to come to Lenox was also partially based on family concerns, as he and his wife had wanted to be closer to his mother-in-law and the Lenox school system looked to be a good fit for their children.

“There’s always surprises in this line of work,” the town manger said when asked what had been the most surprising thing about the job. “You’re dealing with a lot of people and a lot of needs.”

When asked for specifics, he said that his biggest adjustment had been to Massachusetts’ laws, which are quite different from Vermont’s.

“I really liked the immediacy of what local government provides,” said Town Manager Federspiel, when asked why he’d chosen a career in the field. “You get immediate feedback.”

“Lenox is a great town, so it’s a wonderful place to work,” said the town manager, who praised the people he’d worked with over the years in the community. “That’s what you remember the most, working with good people.”

On his proudest accomplishments, Town Manager Federspiel cited the renovation of the town hall, improvements to the sidewalks and streetscape, and building up funds for capital projects: “When I first got here, we weren’t spending a lot of money on capital.”

He also praised the high retention rate of the town’s workforce: “I’m proud that I was part of that, and proud that it continues.”

“I certainly wish I was leaving with the solar projects constructed,” said the town manager when asked about his biggest regret.

He also spoke about the Kennedy Park Belvedere: “I think the whole Belvedere issue took on a life of it’s own. It was disappointing to me that it became such a contentious and hotly debated issues.”

He also said he wished that it had stayed out of the courts.

“Lenox will change over the next 10 years,” said Town Manger Federspiel, when asked how the town would look then.

Specifically, he said that he expected to see Lenox and the surrounding towns change the way they approach services: “I think it’s going to look more towards regional or sub-regional services.”

He also said he expected economics to drive communities towards regionalization, although he expected more of a sub-regional approach, as opposed to a county model.

“I could,” said Town Manager Federspiel, when asked whether he’d consider moving back to Lenox after his retirement. “We’ll see where the rest of the family [members] are.”

Posted by Bera B. Dunau on June 13, 2013. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry