Good man: Richard Slozak has served well

Goldsboro City Manager Richard Slozak will retire at the end of this year after 33 years of service.

He is a good man who will be hard to replace.

City managers — and county managers — can have high “mortality” rates. In many cases and many places their tenures are short lived. They must serve as chief administrative officers of very big “businesses.” At the same time, they find themselves performing an ongoing juggling act to satisfy a diversified constituency, a great number of employees and trying to insulate elected officials from the day-to-day pressures.

In recent years, local governments also have found themselves burdened with having to comply with endless demands and red-tape requirements of federal and state governments.

In this area, with Richard Slozak and with our county managers, our citizens have been most fortunate. We have been able to recruit and keep in place individuals of outstanding ability and temperament.

Interestingly, Slozak is neither a North Carolinian nor even a Southerner by birth. He grew up in Massachusetts and, despite living most of his life here, he still retains a distinctively Northern accent.

That notwithstanding, he has been an impressive “transplant.” He received a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has been not only an outstanding city manager but an active member of the community and its civic life.

As city manager, Slozak has served under a great number of City Council members during decades of great change and challenge. He has shown leadership and vision. He has seen to it that departments under his jurisdiction have had capable leadership and has held those department heads to high standards of accountability.

Throughout his service, Richard Slozak has maintained respect throughout the community and among his counterparts across the state.

He will leave office with high esteem and the admiration of our people. And his shoes will not be easily filled.

Published in Editorials on June 24, 2004 11:09 AM