December 14, 2017

Madera City Administrator announces retirement

After nearly 25 years of service, Madera City Administrator David Tooley has announced that he is retiring.

 

Madera Mayor Andrew Medellin released a statement late Thursday afternoon in response to Tooley’s announcement, praising his “professionalism” and “dedication” to his craft.

“Wednesday night the city council agreed to accept the resignation for purposes of retirement from our City Administrator David Tooley,” said Medellin. “It has been an honor and privilege to work with someone as professional and dedicated as David. His passion for Madera and vision to keep us moving forward is exceptional. For almost 25 years David has helped steer and guide the ship that is Madera, he has dedicated most of his life to the well-being, safety and prosperity of the community from a position that is mostly a thankless job.

“I would like to thank David’s family for their unwavering support of their husband and father who has dedicated so much of his time and energy for Madera. On behalf of myself and the city council, I wish Mr. Tooley the best of luck as he enters into a new, more relaxed chapter in his life.”

In a statement of his own, David Tooley thanked the community and his colleagues before briefly reflecting on his time as City Administrator and detailing his plans for retirement. “It has been my pleasure to serve this community for nearly 25 years,“ said Tooley. “As people leave or retire, it is customary to reflect on their accomplishments. I prefer to simply say, ‘Thank you.’ I have had the opportunity to work with some exceptional people on projects that made Madera a better place to work, live, and play. I cannot imagine a better professional journey. I raised my family here and have made life-long friends. Madera is my home by choice, not by chance.

“What will I do in retirement? My friends in the business who have retired tell me it takes a while to learn how to sleep again. Living on adrenaline gets in the way! All kidding aside, I will look for some other avenue of service and seek to ‘pay forward’ the lessons and opportunities given freely to me by many mentors over a 40 plus year career.

“Thank you, Madera. And as Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol once said, ‘A Merry Christmas to us all […] God bless us, everyone!'”

An Interim City Administrator is expected to be appointed at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Madera City Council on December 20, 2017.