Neenah Community Development Director Chris Hayes to retire March 4; will assist part time during transition

Mayor announced on Feb. 19 that Chris Hayes, Neenah’s community development director, will retire effective March 4 after a 34-year career with the city and that, with council support, Hayes will remain on a part-time basis to help manage large ongoing projects during the transition.

The mayor credited Hayes with a leading role in many local redevelopment projects since he joined the city in 1991, including the downtown Glatfelter paper-mill redevelopment (the mayor cited the city’s 2012 Wisconsin Brownfield Redevelopment of the Year award for that effort) and recent downtown additions such as the Plaza. The mayor noted Hayes has served under five mayors and numerous aldermen during his tenure and said Hayes will focus on larger ongoing projects during a part-time transition period.

Hayes spoke to the council and thanked his family and staff; he said he conservatively estimates having attended about 500 council meetings during his career and reflected on the city’s willingness to take calculated risks in pursuing development. Council members offered tributes: Alderman Lundrum recalled comments from Jennifer Sundstrom, identified at the meeting as government affairs director for the Realtors Association of Northeast Wisconsin, who called Hayes one of the best community development directors in the region; Alderman Ellis, who has served with Hayes for decades, said Hayes always considered "what if" and gave ideas a fair review. The council then accepted a motion from Hayes to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded and the meeting adjourned.

Hayes’s retirement date and the council’s plan for a part-time transition were announced by the mayor during the meeting; the council did not take additional personnel actions at the Feb. 19 session.