Good afternoon, everyone.

Since I’m the first one up, I want to make sure I take the opportunity to welcome everyone and recognize all the VIPs who have joined us – electeds, former electeds, former employees, and friends from all over the region.

I’ve likely missed some others, because Wyatt has made a lot of friends in 23 years! But please know that we are so grateful to see you all today. Or in some cases, welcome you *back* to Falls Church to help celebrate Wyatt.

Wyatt – in keeping with one of the first things I said to you when I became mayor – I  believe in “no surprises” as a general rule in working relationships. So – while I know you wanted all the speeches to be brief and not over the top, I’m sorry and I’m warning you now: we’re going to make you sit through some uncomfortable moments where we say nice things about you and make you the center of attention – because we all have a lot of reflections.

And this is kinda for us too. Retirements are like weddings and funerals – they’re not really for the dead guy or the bride or groom, they’re for your family and your community who are celebrating you, acknowledging this big life transition for you and for all of us.

And for the last time today, you can give me the blank “Wyatt Face.”

Wait – am I the only one who has experienced the Wyatt Face? Where he tunes you out after 45 minutes into a meeting and starts looking blankly at you and you know he is no longer paying attention or definitely won’t do anything I’ve said?

Thank you all for being here to celebrate someone who, for more than two decades, has been at the center of so much of what makes Falls Church the community it is today.

And I have to admit, it is a little strange to be standing here saying retirement and Wyatt Shields in the same sentence.

Because for many of us, Wyatt has simply always been here. And we’ve taken for granted that he would always be here.

Since joining the City in 2003 and then taking on the reins in 2007 as manager, it has somehow been 23 years of the quiet, never flashy, leadership many of us have grown up with. I have been on City Council for 10 of those years, and Wyatt is the only City Manager I have ever known. Which means he has set a ridiculously high bar for me. And for Falls Church.

While we are small in Little City, we make up for it in heart and ambition. And that has started at the top with Wyatt.

There are a lot of ways to measure a City Manager’s career: budgets balanced, projects completed, buildings built, grants secured, real estate taxes grown, infrastructure improved… grocery stores opened.

And Falls Church has certainly done all of that with Wyatt at the helm.

He helped strengthen our financial position with a Triple-A bond rating. He guided the City through the Great Recession and a global pandemic. He oversaw the renovation of City Hall, the construction of major public facilities like the library, new parks, and sale of the water system which catalyzed the financing of a once in generation new high school. He invested in our roads, utilities, and public safety. 

So many consequential changes have happened in Falls Church since 2003.

He steadily helped guide Falls Church through an extraordinary period of growth and has set us on an amazing trajectory forward – while somehow managing to keep us, well…Falls Church.

And I think that is one of the hardest things about leading a place like Falls Church.

We want to grow – but not lose ourselves.

We want to be ambitious – but responsible.

And Wyatt has spent his career walking that line.

But today, I don’t really want to talk about the budgets or mixed use projects or bond ratings. That’s the ambition part and that’s a bit boring. Numbers don’t tell you what it is like to work with Wyatt.

I want to tell you about his heart. And by the volumes of people here, I bet you all know it too.

Numbers don’t tell you that he is unflappable and the best I’ve seen at handling the toughest members of the public. And for that matter, Councilmembers.

They don’t tell you that he is smart, thoughtful, patient, and incredibly prepared.

They don’t tell you that he is, quite possibly, the hardest-working person in City Hall. Often times when I stop in, it’s Wyatt who is one of the last to leave.

And they definitely don’t tell you that this is a guy who could spend his day negotiating a complicated development deal, answer to seven different bosses – and then, on the way home, bike through the traffic calming project to check on its status. 

My first one on one interaction with him was when I as a new Councilmember and I reported a hornets nest at Berman Park over the weekend. He came out and sprayed the thing himself so no kids would get stung before Public Works could get to it. He’s also the one who dons his raincoat and surveys the streams every time there is a big storm to check for flooding or would be out there shoveling snow from public sidewalks himself knowing that our crews were swamped.

I’m sure all of you could share your own stories about how Wyatt has humbly and selflessly served this community. And please do that with each other during the reception and with him – that will make him incredibly uncomfortable!

Of course we all have those stories. Because that is Wyatt.

And that’s why, when Wyatt announced his retirement, the reaction around Falls Church and the region was so immediate and so heartfelt.

People talked about his professionalism and his intelligence. They talked about his calm. They talked about his integrity. But over and over again, people also talked about how much he cares.

Wyatt – You have done something that is actually very difficult in local government. You have made Falls Church better without making it less like itself.

Good government is unsexy and doesn’t get attention, but the results show. You have left us stronger financially, stronger institutionally with a solid staff, a more livable and vibrant community that really stands out, and better prepared for the future. 

And most importantly, you have left behind a culture.

A culture of professionalism.

Of service.

Of treating people with respect, even when you disagree with them.

And maybe most importantly, a culture of knowing that government is ultimately about people — making government work for people and improve their lives.

And you have done it with an extraordinary amount of humility where you have always put your people first.

So today, we’re not just celebrating the retirement of a beloved and respected City Manager.

We’re celebrating Wyatt as a person. And today, we get to put you first, Wyatt.

And Wyatt, I want you to know how deeply grateful we are.

You’ve said recently that serving Falls Church has been the honor of your life. I hope you know that having you serve Falls Church has been an honor for us, too.

On behalf of the City Council, past and present, and our City employees, and the residents of Falls Church: thank you.

Thank you for the late nights.

Thank you for tackling the impossible problems.

Thank you for patiently answering the phone, even when you didn’t want to hear another idea from me.

Thank you for knowing every detail – and still remembering the big picture.

Thank you for keeping us calm when things were not calm.

Thank you for telling us when we were wrong.

Thank you for believing in this City.

And thank you for making all of us who had the privilege of working with you a little better at what we do.

You have left Falls Church immensely better than you found it.

And while we are going to miss having you as our City Manager, I have a feeling we’ll still be seeing you on a bike, probably keeping an eye on things around town. 

For all of us who are here together to see this big transition moment for the City – let’s not think too much about this as an ending. Let’s think about what a remarkable chapter it’s been – 23 years of service, leadership, friendship, and love for this little city.

Wyatt, congratulations on an extraordinary career.

Thank you to Patty, Carlos, Leidy, Tank for sharing Wyatt with us and letting him give so much of himself to Falls Church.

We love you, Wyatt, and wish you all the best in your next chapter. 

Please join me in celebrating our friend and our City Manager, Wyatt Shields.