Silver City -Assistant Town Manager James Marshall to retire Dec. 31, 2024.- James Marshall, assistant town manager, has announced that he will retire at the end of the year, ending a decade in that position. He is the first of several senior managers who are expected to retire from town employment in the next few years, along with Town Manager Alex Brown, whose current contract expires in 2026.

When asked why he has chosen to step down at this time, he simply replied, "It's time." Marshall also served as mayor of Silver City from 2006 to 2014, the longest, continuous public service record as mayor since the 1940s, broken only by Mayor Ken Ladner, who has served in that role since 2016, and will complete 10 years of service at the end of his term.

"I've been so fortunate to work with James, and as a successful mayor himself, I have often relied on him for advice," said Ladner. "He's someone I've turned to help with projects, such as the "Welcome to Silver City" signs, the Pick it Up and Toss No Mas anti-litter initiative, the new recreation center, as well as other issues that come up when you're working closely with the public. James can always be counted on to follow through on his word. I really appreciate him for that, and am honored to call him my friend."

His responsibilities will be assumed by both Jacqui Olea, community development director, and Randy Hernandez, executive assistant to Alex Brown, until the position is filled.

For his part, Brown is working with staff, Mayor Ladner, and town council members to develop a transition plan to manage not only Marshall's retirement, but that of other key managers including Robert Esqueda, utilities department director, and Peter Peña, director of public works, among others, including Brown.

"I'm happy for him," said Brown. "His retirement is part of the change that's happening throughout the town these next few years. I appreciate that he's able to see things from both the policy side and the implementation side," he continued, "as well as his knowledge and thoughtfulness in dealing with the public, employees and the town council. He's been a very valuable resource and to me and to the council; a huge asset. He'll be missed."

Marshall said he has no specific plans for retirement, and recognizes it will be a time of adjustment, though he's looking forward to traveling with his wife, Mary, and doing "whatever I want."

Prior to his employment with the town, Marshall served in various roles at Gila Regional Medical Center, working his way up over a 27-year career from EMT to EMS director and project development director. He credits his mentor, Don McNutt - New Mexico's first paramedic outside of Bernalillo County - who encouraged him to build a career as a paramedic, and saw Marshall's leadership potential.

"He was a mentor that I watched and followed, said Marshall. "He really helped shape my life."

As assistant town manager, Marshall's responsibilities have included oversight of the police and fire departments, community development, carrying the town's legislative agenda to the state legislature each year - predominantly handling tax structure issues - and managing special projects, such as the ongoing development of the Waterworks property on Little Walnut Road, and overseeing the contract with Sunny 505, an Albuquerque marketing firm. He also represents the town on a behavioral health task force, organized to improve and expand mental health and substance abuse prevention services in the area.

He's also spent a lot of time addressing issues and concerns of residents, at once a challenging yet rewarding role, and one which has allowed him to "treat people with respect, regardless of their issue or point of view," a personal value that he's grateful to have been given the opportunity to nurture and hone. "You never know what people may be dealing with," he said. "We all deserve to be treated with respect."

Marshall credits his desire to join the public sector to his many years in emergency medical services, a job which requires a dedication to community service. He decided to run for mayor when Terry Fortenberry's term ended in 2006. "I really didn't expect to win, but I thought it would be a great experience, and an opportunity to meet new people I wouldn't normally meet."

Reflecting on his 18 years of service to the town, he says he has particularly enjoyed the diversity of projects and responsibilities he's had, and is grateful to another of his mentors, Alex Brown.

"Alex understands the issues that are driving families that work for us," he said. "I hear him talk about some guy who's on the pothole crew who's having a hard time, or a janitor who's dealing with personal issues. Family issues, health issues, he knows what's going on, and that's amazing to me. And he's making sure that the vital public health, safety and infrastructure responsibilities that are part of a municipality's mission are maintained and delivered with efficiency and effectiveness. He's a great systems leader."

Among the many projects and achievements that Marshall has realized during his tenure, he credits his accomplishments to collaboration.

"It's the team of department heads, town staff and the executive department working together that makes local government work, in concert with the town council," he said. "Town staff really work hard to do a good job. I think it's important to remember that they also live here and are invested in making sure we enjoy a good quality of life."

He points to collaboration as key to a number of the successes he's enjoyed, including working with Hidalgo Medical Services to build the HMS Community Health Clinic on Pope Street; the demolition of the old Hillcrest Hospital, now the site of Mountain View senior housing; the development of HMS' behavioral health program, Tu Casa, which sits on property the town leased from the state to help make Tu Casa a reality. He's also responsible for carrying out improvements to Scott Park, the development of the municipal tennis courts just east of Fox Field, implementation of the town's trails and open spaces plan, and has worked to improve the safety of the myriad mining features on Boston Hill.

When asked about his future hopes for the community that he's called home for the vast majority of his life, Marshall said he wishes that residents better understood town government and "the issues that drive the town," and that people would take the time to educate themselves about a given issue before airing their opinions on social media.

"People often think they know what they're talking about, when they really don't. That's frustrating to me," he said, adding that it's particularly challenging when people criticize the town without first understanding the facts about a given issue or situation. "We have overwhelmingly good, hardworking employees who are community members too," he said. "There are many challenges in municipal government, especially in rural areas, and we only have so much control over public policy, which is largely determined in Santa Fe."

But those challenges will soon be in the rear view mirror for Marshall, whose focus will now move to work that offers immediate gratification - rebuilding his grandfather's 1970 Chevy C20, a project he's been working on for the past three years in the evenings and on weekends. He also enjoys mechanical challenges.

"It's really satisfying when someone brings in an engine that doesn't work and you fix it. Unlike the public sector, it's finite; simple. I'm looking forward to that."