By Chuck Samples/KVOE NewsNow that City Manager Matt Zimmerman has announced his resignation and his decision to take over the city manager post in Hazelwood, Mo., Zimmerman is looking forward to the future and back on his over six years leading Emporia’s city government.
Zimmerman joined KVOE’s Morning Show on Thursday, saying the move puts him closer to his Chicago roots and also puts him halfway between there and Emporia.
“We were looking at several opportunities to go closer to home, opportunities to go to a larger organization and new professional challenges,” he said.
Zimmerman denied having a “sense of urgency” to leave Emporia, saying he and his wife, Valerie, were “selective” as they looked for a new home. He also acknowledged again, as he did right after announcing his decision Wednesday, his management style may have ruffled some feathers.
“I’m a very fast talker, a loud talker and that’s my personality,” he said. “I think as a community, we’re much more of a ‘let’s be reserved, let’s not say anything that people might take offense to.’ I don’t ever mean to be offensive. It’s just that sometimes my aggressiveness can be misread.”
Zimmerman said Emporia is a welcoming place that “takes care of its own” and said he would tell prospective city manager candidates there are a lot of positives in the community. The biggest challenge he sees is continuing Emporia’s economic vitality at a time when population trends have people leaving rural hubs like Emporia for larger urban areas.
Zimmerman came to Emporia after serving as city manager in Prospect Heights, Ill. A national search is expected to begin soon. An interim city manager should be named within the next few weeks.
The full interview is online at KVOE.com.
