Town Manager Tells Select Board He's Leaving June 17

Arlington MA

08 March, 2022

4:23 PM

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Your Arlington Created: 07 March 2022 Written by Bob Sprague UPDATED March 8: Town Manager Adam W. Chapdelaine publicly announced to the Select Board on Monday, March 7, that he plans to leave Friday, June 17. By then, he will have served 10 years as the top manager. For two years before that, he was deputy town manager. He called his time here "a tremendous honor." In a statement, he said: "However, after a great deal of consideration, I have decided that I need an opportunity to reflect, recharge and refocus as I consider what to do next in my career. "As we all know, the past few years have been very challenging, but they have also provided perspective. Perspective that has shown me that nothing is promised and that the time that we have here is to be cherished. "Perspective that has shown me that my children will only be young once. Perspective that has shown me that while the work we do is vitally important, it doesn't need to be our identity. 'Forever proud' "I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity here in Arlington, and I'll be forever proud of what we've accomplished as a team. "I'm grateful to the [Select] Board for the faith and trust that it has put in me, and I am thankful to the team of town employees that always rise to the moment. "I'll always appreciate and cherish the support that I've been granted by town residents and volunteers. "Arlington is a tremendous community, it has been a wonderful place to work, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that it has given me to build my professional skills while working on an array of important issues. "I look forward to working to help facilitate a successful and safe Town Meeting this spring, working to see the FY2023 budget adopted and helping the Board to build a transition plan. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for making Arlington such a wonderful town. "It will always hold a special place in my heart." YourArlington broke the news March 3 that Chapdelaine was leaving, and not to another position. Jeff Barndt of ACMi then interviewed the manager and provided further details. Chapdelaine had negotiated a new three-year contract with the Select Board in December. Asked whether Covid-19 was a factor, he wrote: "I think it is entirely fair and accurate to say that the challenge and stress of the pandemic has factored into my decision making."More broadly, I'd say that I came to the conclusion that I needed to close one door before opening another." Board Chair Steve DeCourcey was the only member to comment: "We'll have more to say as we move forward." YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.