A Farewell to Addison City Manager Ron Whitehead

Addison City Manager Ron Whitehead is retiring after almost 32 years. In that time, Whitehead has helped Addison grow from small town to bustling metropolis, and he says there is a lot that he will miss about his role as city manager.

Q: For those of us who don’t know, what are the city manager’s basic duties?

Whitehead: “The city manager is the professional business manager of the city. The mayor and council are elected, but they generally don’t have any background in running a city, so they hire a city manager to be the day-to-day manager of the town. They [the mayor and council] are the policy makers and the city manager is responsible for executing policy.”

Q: What got you interested in local government?

Whitehead: “Well, when I was a child, my dad was the mayor of Orange, Texas, so I grew up in the business, so to speak. My dad used to take me to political rallies. I found I liked serving people and I felt like the profession matched my personality. I went to Lamar University and got a degree in government, then a masters in public administration. Cities are in unique businesses. We own an airport, manage large construction projects and manage sewer systems. You have to know about public safety. That’s usually the most costly because it’s 60-70 percent of your employees.

When I got in this business, the ambulance service was run by the funeral home and they didn’t have as much incentive for you to make it as we do. [Laughs] I think services have improved dramatically. You have to know a lot of different areas of business, but that’s part of the fun. I’ve never had a boring day in a total of 43 years in the business.”

“I would like to thank the citizens and business community in Addison for allowing me to serve. I’ve genuinely enjoyed and appreciated it. It has been a true gift to me, and something I really appreciate. It’s been a great ride and a blast.”

– Ron Whitehead

Q: How long have you lived in Addison?

Whitehead: “The first three years I drove back and forth from Irving because we only had 144 houses. We have lived in our house in Addison for 29 years.”

Q: What do you love about Addison? What kept you here?

Whitehead: “I love the location–it’s convenient to just about anywhere. The best thing is that it’s a sophisticated entity. We have 11 million square feet of office space. We have Addison Airport with over 750 airplanes; 170 restaurants, 22 hotels and retail. With all of that, it has all the amenities of a big city while still being a small town. You can know your neighbors and the city officials, too. There’s a measure of intimacy that’s completely unique.”

Q: After 32 years, what has been your favorite accomplishment?

Whitehead: “It’s hard to pick because we’ve had a lot of great hings that have happened. I think the thing I like best is that there’s a diverse offering of housing products and we intentionally set out to do that. We intentionally set out to build single family duplexes, apartments and town homes. We are really building a more urban address than a suburban address and we will continue to be more urban. The idea is you can come here out of college, rent an apartment, rent a condo, then a house. Then as you age, go back the other direction. Our new tagline is “It All Comes Together”. A person can have the total life experience without having to leave town and within that small town atmosphere. We try to provide adequate open space; we have a great park system. I think it’s one of the highlights of the city.”

Q: What is your favorite memory as city manager?

Whitehead: “I guess that my collective favorite memories are the times I’ve been able to spend with the employees. I love being able to stop and talk to the parks crews. I try to visit with all the employees. I think that’s the thing I’ll miss the most.”

Q: Is there particular project you really believed in?

Whitehead: “I think that one of the things we felt strongly about, and that is continuing to play out through our Arbor Foundation, is when we installed the blueprint foundation of Addison Circle, we wanted to make the statement that the arts were important in Addison. WaterTower Theatre is the premier professional theatre outside of Dallas proper. I am proud that the councils have continued to support the arts, and the Arbor Foundation is going through a great program of placing sculpture throughout the community. I think it really makes a statement about the importance of art in the community.”

Q: How do you plan on spending your retirement?

Whitehead: “We are like most folks–we plan on traveling quite a bit. I guess my goal for retirement is to help people. I have a lot of people in my life that have been kind to me that I would like to do things for. I’ve been involved in a lot of things–the church, but I also want to help individuals that have been kind to me over the years.

We’re going to Aruba over the July 4th holiday, then in the fall we’re trying to plan a trip to Italy, but my youngest daughter has been interfering with our plans. [Laughs] We’re going to be grandparents, so we’re very excited about that. We’ll have the family all together and we’re looking forward to spending time together and continue this life that we’ve had. We’ve been very blessed.”

Q: What will you miss about being city manager?

Whitehead: “It’s a fun job. The best thing about this job has been my privilege to work with the employees. The reason this place is successful is not about me or city councils. It’s about the people who are out there every day serving the people, and they excel. That’s what I’m absolutely most proud of. They are simply the best.

I would like to thank the citizens and business community in Addison for allowing me to serve. I’ve genuinely enjoyed and appreciated it. It has been a true gift to me, and something I really appreciate. It’s been a great ride and a blast.”

Thank you, Ron Whitehead, for 32 years of dedicated service to the Town of Addison. You have helped this community become something truly special.

A special thank you to the Town of Addison and Buddy Frazer for supplying us with all of these great photos of Ron Whitehead.